al 


IR 


THE  LIBRARY — 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

IN  MEMORY  OF 


Pelle  the  Conqueror 

DA  Y BREAK 


PELLE    THE    CONQUEROR 


I.— BOYHOOD.    Translated  by  JESSIE  MUIR. 

II.— APPRENTICESHIP.     Translated  by  BER- 
NARD MIALL. 

III.— THE  GREAT   STRUGGLE.      Translated 
by  BERNARD  MIALL. 

IV.— DAYBREAK.     Translated  by  JESSIE  MUIR. 


HENRY  HOLT  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK 


Pelle  the  Conqueror 

DAYBREAK 


BY 

Martin  Andersen  Nexo 


translated  from  the 
Danish  by  Jessie  Mitir 


NEW  YORK 

HENRY   HOLT  AND   COMPANY 
1916 


PRINTED  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN 


PT 


PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 


OUT  in  the  middle  of  the  open,  fertile  country,  where  the 
plough  was  busy  turning  up  the  soil  round  the  numerous 
cheerful  little  houses,  stood  a  gloomy  building  that  on  every 
side  turned  bare  walls  towards  the  smiling  world.  No 
panes  of  glass  caught  the  ruddy  glow  of  the  morning  and 
evening  sun  and  threw  back  its  quivering  reflection; 
three  rows  of  barred  apertures  drank  in  all  the  light  of  day 
with  insatiable  avidity.  They  were  always  gaping  greedily, 
and  seen  against  the  background  of  blue  spring  sky,  looked 
like  holes  leading  into  the  everlasting  darkness.  In  its 
heavy  gloom  the  mass  of  masonry  towered  above  the  many 
smiling  homes,  but  their  peaceable  inhabitants  did  not 
seem  to  feel  oppressed.  They  ploughed  their  fields  right 
up  to  the  bare  walls,  and  wherever  the  building  was  visible, 
eyes  were  turned  towards  it  with  an  expression  that  told 
of  the  feeling  of  security  that  its  strong  walls  gave. 

Like  a  landmark  the  huge  building  towered  above 
everything  else.  It  might  very  well  have  been  a  temple 
raised  to  God's  glory  by  a  grateful  humanity,  so  imposing 
was  it ;  but  if  so,  it  must  have  been  in  by-gone  ages,  for  no 
dwellings — even  for  the  Almighty — are  built  nowadays  in 
so  barbaric  a  style,  as  if  the  one  object  were  to  keep  out 
light  and  air  !  The  massive  walls  were  saturated  with  the 

VOL.   IV.  B 

2040351 


2  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

dank  darkness  within,  and  the  centuries  had  weathered 
their  surface  and  made  on  it  luxuriant  cultures  of  fungus 
and  mould,  and  yet  they  still  seemed  as  if  they  could 
stand  for  an  eternity. 

The  building  was  no  fortress,  however,  nor  yet  a  temple 
whose  dim  recesses  were  the  abode  of  the  unknown  God. 
If  you  went  up  to  the  great,  heavy  door,  which  was  always 
closed  you  could  read  above  the  arch  the  one  word  Prison 
in  large  letters,  and  below  it  a  simple  Latin  verse  that  with 
no  little  pretentiousness  proclaimed  : 

"  I  am  the  threshold  to  all  virtue  and  wisdom  ; 
Justice  flourishes  solely  for  my  sake." 

One  day  in  the  middle  of  spring,  the  little  door  in  the 
prison  gate  opened,  and  a  tall  man  stepped  out  and  looked 
about  him  with  eyes  blinking  at  the  light  which  fell  upon 
his  ashen-white  face.  His  step  faltered  and  he  had  to 
lean  for  support  against  the  wall ;  he  looked  as  if  he  were 
about J  to  go  back  again,  but  he  drew  a  deep  breath  and 
went  out  on  to  the  open  ground. 

The  spring  breeze  made  a  playful  assault  upon  him, 
tried  to  ruffle  his  prison-clipped,  slightly  grey  hair,  which 
had  been  curly  and  fair  when  last  it  had  done  so,  and 
penetrated  gently  to  his  bare  body  like  a  soft,  cool  hand. 
"  Welcome,  Pelle  !  "  said  the  sun,  as  it  peeped  into  his 
distended  pupils  in  which  the  darkness  of  the  prison-cell 
still  lay  brooding.  Not  a  muscle  of  his  face  moved,  how- 
ever ;  it  was  as  though  hewn  out  of  stone.  Only  the 
pupils  of  his  eyes  contracted  so  violently  as  to  be  almost 
painful,  but  he  continued  to  look  earnestly  before  him. 
Whenever  he  saw  any  one,  he  stopped  and  gazed  eagerly, 
perhaps  in  the  hope  that  it  was  some  one  coming  to  meet 
him. 

As  he  turned  into  the  King's  Road  some  one  called  to 


DAYBREAK  3 

him.  He  turned  round  in  sudden,  intense  joy,  but  then 
his  head  dropped  and  he  went  on  without  answering.  It 
was  only  a  tramp,  who  was  standing  half  out  of  a  ditch  in 
a  field  a  little  way  off,  beckoning  to  him.  He  came  run- 
ning over  the  ploughed  field,  crying  hoarsely :  "  Wait  a 
little,  can't  you !  Here  have  I  been  waiting  for  company 
all  day,  so  you  might  as  well  wait  a  little  !  " 

He  was  a  broad-shouldered,  rather  puffy-looking  fellow, 
with  a  flat  back  and  the  nape  of  his  neck  broad  and  straight 
and  running  right  up  into  his  cap  without  forming  any 
projection  for  the  back  of  his  head,  making  one  involun- 
tarily think  of  the  scaffold.  The  bone  of  his  nose  had  sunk 
into  his  purple  face,  giving  a  bull-dog  mixture  of  brutality 
and  stupid  curiosity  to  its  expression. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  ?  "  he  asked,  as  he 
joined  him,  breathless.  There  was  a  malicious  look  in  his 
eyes. 

"  I  went  in  when  Pontius  Pilate  was  a  little  boy,  so  you 
can  reckon  it  out  for  yourself,"  said  Pelle  shortly. 

"  My  goodness  !  That  was  a  good  spell !  And  what 
were  you  copped  for  ?  " 

"  Oh,  there  happened  to  be  an  empty  place,  so  they 
took  me  and  put  me  in — so  that  it  shouldn't  stand  empty, 
you  know !  " 

The  tramp  scowled  at  him.  "  You're  laying  it  on  a 
little  too  thick  !  You  won't  get  any  one  to  believe  that  !  " 
he  said  uncertainly.  Suddenly  he  put  himself  in  front  of 
Pelle,  and  pushed  his  bull-like  forehead  close  to  the  other's 
face.  "  Now,  I'll  just  tell  you  something,  my  boy  !  "  he 
said.  "  I  don't  want  to  touch  any  one  the  first  day  I'm 
out,  but  you'd  better  take  yourself  and  your  confounded 
uppishness  somewhere  else  ;  for  I've  been  lying  here  wait- 
ing for  company  all  day." 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  offend  any  one,"  said  Pelle  absently. 


4  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

He  looked  as  if  he  had  not  come  back  to  earth,  and  appeared 
to  have  no  intention  of  doing  anything. 

"  Oh,  didn't  you !  That's  fortunate  for  you,  or  I 
might  have  taken  a  colour-print  of  your  doleful  face, 
however  unwillingly.  By  the  way,  mother  said  I  was  to 
give  you  her  love." 

"  Are  you  Ferdinand  ?  "  asked  Pelle,  raising  his  head. 

"  Oh,  don't  pretend  !  "  said  Ferdinand.  "  Being  in 
gaol  seems  to  have  made  a  swell  of  you  !  " 

"  I  didn't  recognise  you,"  said  Pelle  earnestly,  suddenly 
recalled  to  the  world  around  him. 

"  Oh  all  right — if  you  say  so.  It  must  be  the  fault  of 
my  nose.  I  got  it  bashed  in  the  evening  after  I'd  buried 
mother.  I  was  to  give  you  her  love,  by  the  way." 

"  Thank  you !  "  said  Pelle  heartily.  Old  memories 
from  the  "  Ark  "  filled  his  mind  and  sent  his  blood  coursing 
through  his  veins  once  more.  "Is  it  long  since  your 
mother  died  ?  "  he  asked  sympathetically. 

Ferdinand  nodded.  "  It  was  a  good  thing,  however," 
he  said,  "  for  now  there's  no  one  I  need  go  and  have  a  bad 
conscience  about.  I'd  made  up  my  mind  that  she  deserved 
to  have  things  comfortable  in  her  old  age,  and  I  was 
awfully  careful ;  but  all  the  same  I  was  caught  for  a  little 
robbery  and  got  eight  months.  That  was  just  after  you 
got  in — but  of  course  you  know  that." 

"  No  !    How  could  I  know  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  telegraphed  it  over  to  you.  I  was  just 
opposite  you,  in  Wing  A,  and  when  I'd  reckoned  out  your 
cell,  I  bespoke  the  whole  line  one  evening,  and  knocked  a 
message 'through  to  you.  But  there  was  a  sanctimonious 
parson  at  the  corner  of  your  passage,  one  of  those  moral 
folk — oh,  you  didn't  even  know  that  then  ?  Well,  I'd 
always  suspected  him  of  not  passing  my  message  on, 
though  a  chap  like  that's  had  an  awful  lot  of  learning  put 


DAYBREAK  5 

into  him.  Then  when  I  came  out  I  said  to  myself  that 
there  must  be  an  end  to  all  this,  for  mother'd  taken  it  very 
much  to  heart,  and  was  failing.  I  managed  to  get  into 
one  of  the  streets  where  honest  thieves  live,  and  went 
about  as  a  colporteur,  and  it  all  went  very  well.  It  would 
have  been  horribly  mean  if  she'd  died  of  hunger.  And  we 
had  a  jolly  good  time  for  six  months,  but  then  she  slipped 
away  all  the  same,  and  I  can  just  tell  you  that  I've  never 
been  in  such  low  spirits  as  the  day  they  put  her  under- 
ground in  the  cemetery.  Well,  I  said  to  myself,  there 
lies  mother  smelling  the  weeds  from  underneath,  so  you 
can  just  as  well  give  it  all  up,  for  there's  nothing  more  to 
trouble  about  now.  And  I  went  up  to  the  office  and  asked 
for  a  settlement,  and  they  cheated  me  of  fifty  subscribers, 
the  rogues ! 

"  Of  course  I  went  to  the  police  :  I  was  stupid  enough 
to  do  that  at  that  time.  But  they're  all  a  lot  of  rogues 
together.  They  thought  it  wouldn't  do  to  believe  a  word 
that  I  said,  and  would  have  liked  to  put  me  in  prison  at 
once  ;  but  for  all  they  poked  about  they  couldn't  find  a 
peg  to  hang  their  hat  upon.  '  He's  managing  to  hide  it 
well  this  time,  the  sly  fellow  !  '  they  said,  and  let  me  go. 
But  there  soon  was  something,  for  I  settled  the  matter 
myself,  and  you  may  take  your  oath  my  employers  didn't 
get  the  best  of  the  arrangement.  You  see  there  are  two 
kinds  of  people — poor  people  who  are  only  honest  when 
they  let  themselves  be  robbed,  and  all  the  others.  Why  the 
devil  should  one  go  about  like  a  shorn  sheep  and  not  rob 
back  !  Some  day  of  course  there'll  be  a  bust-up,  and  then 
• — '  three  years,  prisoner  ! '  I  shall  be  in  again  before  long." 

"  That  depends  upon  yourself,"  said  Pelle  slowly. 

"Oh  well,  of  course  you  can  do  something;  but  the 
police  are  always  getting  sharper,  and  the  man  isn't  born 
who  won't  fall  into  the  trap  sooner  or  later." 


6  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  You  should  try  and  get  some  honest  employment 
again.  You've  shown  that  you  can  succeed." 

Ferdinand  whistled.  "  In  such  a  paltry  way  as  that  ! 
Many  thanks  for  the  good  advice  !  You'd  like  me  to 
look  after  a  bloated  aristocrat's  geese  and  then  sit  on  the 
steps  and  eat  dry  bread  to  the  smell  of  the  roast  bird, 
would  you  ?  No  thank  you  !  And  even  if  I  did— what 
then  ?  You  may  be  quite  sure  they'd  keep  a  good  watch 
on  a  fellow,  if  he  tried  an  honest  job,  and  it  wouldn't  be 
two  days  before  the  shadow  was  there.  '  What's  this 
about  Ferdinand  ?  I  hear  things  are  not  all  square  with 
him.  I'm  sorry,  for  he's  really  worked  well ;  but  he'd 
better  look  out  for  another  place.'  That's  what  the 
decent  ones  would  do ;  the  others  would  simply  wait 
until  his  wages  were  due  and  take  something  off — because 
he'd  been  in  once.  They  could  never  be  sure  that  he  hadn't 
stolen  something  from  them,  could  they  ?  and  it's  best 
to  be  careful !  If  you  make  a  fuss,  you're  called  a  thief 
to  your  face.  I've  tried  it,  let  me  tell  you !  And  now 
you  can  try  it  yourself.  You'll  be  in  again  as  soon  as 
ever  the  spring  comes  !  The  worst  of  it  is  that  it  gets 
more  every  time  ;  a  fellow  like  me  may  get  five  years  for 
stealing  five  krones  (five  shillings).  Isn't  that  a  shame  ? 
So  it's  just  as  well  to  do  something  to  make  it  worth  while. 
It  wouldn't  matter  if  you  could  only  get  a  good  hit  at  it 
all.  It's  all  one  to  me  now  that  mother's  dead.  There's 
a  child  crying,  but  it's  not  for  me.  There  isn't  a  soul  that 
would  shed  a  tear  if  I  had  to  lay  my  head  on  the  block. 
They'd  come  and  stare,  that's  what  they'd  do — and  I 
should  get  properly  into  the  papers  ! 

"  Wicked  ?  Of  course  I'm  wicked !  Sometimes  I 
feel  like  one  great  sore,  and  would  like  to  let  them  hear 
all  about  it.  There's  no  such  thing  as  gentle  hands. 
That's  only  a  lie,  so  I  owe  nothing  to  anybody.  Several 


DAYBREAK  7 

times  while  I've  been  in  there  I've  made  up  my  mind  to 
kill  the  warder,  just  so  as  to  have  a  hit  at  something  ;  for 
he  hadn't  done  me  any  harm.  But  then  I  thought  after 
all  it  was  stupid.  I'd  no  objection  to  kick  the  bucket ; 
it  would  be  a  pleasant  change  anyhow  to  sitting  in  prison 
all  one's  life.  But  then  you'd  want  to  do  something  first 
that  would  make  a  stir.  That's  what  I  feel !  " 

They  walked  on  at  a  good  pace,  their  faces  turned  in 
the  direction  of  the  smoky  mist  of  the  town  far  ahead, 
Ferdinand  chewing  his  quid  and  spitting  incessantly.  His 
hardened,  bulldog  face  with  its  bloodshot  eyes  was  entirely 
without  expression  now  that  he  was  silent. 

A  peasant  lad  came  towards  them,  singing  at  the  top 
of  his  voice.  He  must  have  been  about  twelve  or  fourteen 
years  of  age. 

"  What  are  you  so  happy  about,  boy  ?  "  asked 
Ferdinand,  stopping  him. 

"  I  took  a  heifer  into  the  town,  and  I  got  two  krones 
(two  shillings)  for  the  job,"  answered  the  boy,  smiling  all 
over  his  face. 

"  You  must  have  been  up  early  then,"  said  Pelle. 

"  Yes,  I  left  home  at  three  last  night.  But  now  I've 
earned  a  day's  wages,  and  can  take  it  easy  the  rest  of  the 
day  !  "  answered  the  boy,  throwing  the  two-krone  piece 
into  the  air  and  catching  it  again. 

"  Take  care  you  don't  lose  it,"  said  Ferdinand,  follow- 
ing the  coin  with  covetous  eyes. 

The  boy  laughed  merrily. 

"  Let's  see  whether  it's  a  good  one.  They're  a  fearful 
lot  of  thieves  on  the  market  in  there." 

The  boy  handed  him  the  coin.  "Ah,  yes,  it's  one 
of  those  that  you  can  break  in  half  and  make  two  of," 
said  Ferdinand,  doing  a  few  juggling  tricks  with  it.  "I 
suppose  I  may  keep  one  ?  "  His  expression  had  become 


8  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

lively  and  he  winked  maliciously  at  Pelle  as  he  stood 
playing  with  the  coin  so  that  it  appeared  to  be  two. 
"  There  you  are  ;  that's  yours,"  he  said,  pressing  the 
piece  of  money  firmly  into  the  boy's  hand.  "  Take  good 
care  of  it,  so  that  you  don't  get  a  scolding  from  your 
mother." 

The  boy  opened  his  empty  hand  in  wonderment.  "  Give 
me  my  two-krone  !  "  he  said,  smiling  uncertainly. 

"  What  the  devil — I've  given  it  you  once  !  "  said 
Ferdinand,  pushing  the  boy  aside  roughly  and  beginning 
to  walk  on. 

The  boy  followed  him  and  begged  persistently  for  his 
money.  Then  he  began  to  cry. 

"  Give  him  his  money  !  "  said  Pelle  crossly.  "It's 
not  amusing  now." 

"  Amusing  ?  "  exclaimed  Ferdinand,  stopping  abruptly 
and  gazing  at  him  in  amazement.  "  Do  you  think  I  play 
for  small  sums  ?  What  do  I  care  about  the  boy  !  He  may 
take  himself  off ;  I'm  not  his  father." 

Pelle  looked  at  him  a  moment  without  comprehend- 
ing ;  then  he  took  a  paper  containing  a  few  silver  coins 
out  of  his  waistcoat  pocket,  and  handed  the  boy  two 
krones.  The  boy  stood  motionless  with  amazement  for  a 
moment,  but  then,  seizing  the  money,  he  darted  away  as 
quickly  as  he  could  go. 

Ferdinand  went  on,  growling  to  himself  and  blinking 
his  eyes.  Suddenly  he  stopped  and  exclaimed :  "  I'll 
just  tell  you  as  a  warning  that  if  it  wasn't  you,  and  because 
I  don't  want  to  have  this  day  spoiled,  I'd  have  cracked 
your  skull  for  you ;  for  no  one  else  would  have  played  me 
that  trick.  Do  you  understand  ?  "  And  he  stood  still 
again  and  pushed  his  heavy  brow  close  to  Pelle 's  face. 

Quick  as  thought,  Pelle  seized  him  by  his  collar  and 
trousers,  and  threw  him  forcibly  on  to  a  heap  of  stones. 


DAYBREAK  9 

"  That's  the  second  time  to-day  that  you've  threatened 
to  crack  my  skull,"  he  said  in  fury,  pounding  Ferdinand's 
head  against  the  stones.  For  a  few  moments  he  held  him 
down  firmly,  but  then  released  him  and  helped  him  to  rise. 
Ferdinand  was  crimson  in  the  face,  and  stood  swaying, 
ready  to  throw  himself  upon  Pelle,  while  his  gaze  wandered 
round  in  search  of  a  weapon.  Then  he  hesitatingly  drew 
the  two-krone  piece  out  of  his  pocket,  and  handed  it  to 
Pelle  in  sign  of  subjection. 

"  You  may  keep  it,"  said  Pelle  condescendingly. 

Ferdinand  quickly  pocketed  it  again,  and  began  to 
brush  the  mud  off  his  clothes.  "  The  skilly  in  there  doesn't 
seem  to  have  weakened  you  much,"  he  said,  shaking 
himself  goodnaturedly  as  they  went  on.  "  You've  still 
got  a  confounded  hard  hand.  But  what  I  can't  under- 
stand is  why  you  should  be  so  sorry  for  a  hobbledehoy 
like  that.  He  can  take  care  of  himself  without  us." 

"  Weren't  you  once  sorry  too  for  a  little  fellow  when 
some  one  wanted  to  take  his  money  away  from  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  little  fellow  in  the  '  Ark '  who  was  going  to 
fetch  the  medicine  for  his  mother  ?  That's  such  a  long 
time  ago !  " 

"  You  got  into  difficulties  with  the  police  for  his  sake  ! 
It  was  the  first  time  you  were  at  odds  with  the  authorities, 
I  think." 

"  Well,  the  boy  hadn't  done  anything ;  I  saw  that 
myself.  So  I  hobbled  the  copper  that  was  going  to  run 
him  in.  His  mother  was  ill — and  my  old  'un  was  alive  ; 
and  so  I  was  a  big  idiot !  You'll  see  you  won't  get  far 
with  your  weak  pity.  Do  we  owe  any  one  anything,  I 
should  like  to  know  ?  " 

"  Yes,  /  do,"  said  Pelle,  suddenly  raising  his  face 
towards  the  light.  "  But  I  can't  say  you've  much  to 
thank  any  one  for." 


io  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  What  confounded  nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  Ferdinand, 
staring  at  him.  "  Have  they  been  good  to  you,  did  you 
say  ?  When  they  shut  you  up  in  prison  too,  perhaps  ? 
You're  pretending  to  be  good,  eh  ?  You  stop  that  ! 
You'll  have  to  go  farther  into  the  country  with  it.  So 
you  think  you  deserved  your  house-of -correction  turn, 
while  another  was  only  suffering  the  blackest  injustice  ? 
Nonsense  !  They  know  well  enough  what  they're  doing 
when  they  get  hold  of  me,  but  they  might  very  well  have 
let  you  off.  You  got  together  fifty  thousand  men,  but 
what  did  you  all  do,  I  should  like  to  know  ?  You  didn't 
make  as  much  disturbance  as  a  mouse  in  a  pair  of  lady's 
unmentionables.  Well-to-do  people  are  far  more  afraid 
of  me  than  of  you  and  all  your  fellows  together.  Injus- 
tice !  Oh,  shut  up  and  don't  slobber !  You  give  no 
quarter,  and  you  don't  ask  any  either  :  that's  all.  And 
by  the  way,  you  might  do  me  the  favour  to  take  back  your 
two-krone.  I  don't  owe  any  one  anything." 

"  Well,  borrow  it  then,"  said  Pelle.  "  You  can't  go 
to  town  quite  without  money." 

"  Do  take  it,  won't  you  ?  "  begged  Ferdinand.  "  It 
isn't  so  easy  for  you  to  get  hold  of  any  as  for  any  one  else, 
and  it  was  a  little  too  mean  the  way  I  got  it  out  of  you. 
You've  been  saving  it  up  in  there,  a  halfpenny  a  day,  and 
perhaps  gone  without  your  quid,  and  I  come  and  cheat 
you  out  of  it !  No,  confound  it !  And  you  gave  mother 
a  little  into  the  bargain  ;  I'd  almost  forgotten  it !  Well, 
never  mind  the  tin  then  !  I  know  a  place  where  there's 
a  good  stroke  of  business  to  be  done." 

A  little  above  Damhus  Lake  they  turned  into  a  side 
road  that  led  northwards,  in  order  to  reach  the  town  from 
the  Norrebro  side.  Far  down  to  the  right  a  great  cloud 
of  smoke  hung  in  the  air.  It  was  the  atmosphere  of  the 
city.  As  the  east  wind  tore  off  fragments  of  it  and  carried 


DAYBREAK  n 

them  out,  Ferdinand  lifted  his  bulldog  nose  and  sniffed 
the  air.  "  Wouldn't  I  like  to  be  sitting  in  the  '  Cupping- 
Glass  '  before  a  horse-steak  with  onions  !  "  he  said. 

By  this  time  the  afternoon  was  well  advanced.  They 
broke  sticks  out  of  a  hedge  and  went  on  steadily,  following 
ditches  and  dikes  as  best  they  could.  The  plough  was 
being  driven  over  the  fields,  backwards  and  forwards, 
turning  up  the  black  earth,  while  crows  and  sea-birds 
fought  in  the  fresh  furrows.  The  ploughmen  put  the  reins 
round  their  waist  each  time  they  came  to  the  end  of  their 
line,  threw  the  plough  over  and  brought  it  into  position 
for  a  new  furrow,  and  while  they  let  their  horses  take 
breath,  gazed  afar  at  the  two  strange  spring  wayfarers. 
There  was  such  a  foreign  air  about  their  clothes  that  they 
must  be  two  of  that  kind  of  people  that  go  on  foot  from 
land  to  land,  they  thought ;  and  they  called  after  them 
scraps  of  foreign  sentences  to  show  they  knew  something 
about  them.  Ah  yes!  They  were  men  who  could  look 
about  them !  Perhaps  by  to-morrow  those  two  would 
be  in  a  foreign  country  again,  while  other  folk  never  left 
the  place  they  were  once  in  ! 

They  passed  a  white  house  standing  in  stately  seclu- 
sion among  old  trees,  a  high  hawthorn  hedge  screening 
the  garden  from  the  road.  Ferdinand  threw  a  hasty 
glance  over  the  gate.  The  blinds  were  all  down  !  He 
began  to  be  restless,  and  a  little  farther  on  he  suddenly 
slipped  in  behind  a  hedge  and  refused  to  go  any  farther. 
"  I  don't  care  to  show  myself  in  town  empty-handed,"  he 
said.  "  And  besides  evening's  the  best  time  to  go  in  at 
full  speed.  Let's  wait  here  until  it's  dark.  I  can  smell 
silver  in  that  house  we  passed." 

"  Come  on  now  and  let  those  fancies  alone,"  said  Pelle 
earnestly.  "  A  new  life  begins  from  to-day.  I'll  manage 
to  help  you  to  get  honest  work  !  " 


12  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Ferdinand  broke  into  laughter.  "  Good  gracious  me  ! 
You  help  others  !  You  haven't  tried  yet  what  it  is  to 
come  home  from  prison  !  You'll  find  it  hard  enough  to 
get  anywhere  yourself,  my  good  fellow.  New  life,  ha,  ha  1 
No  ;  just  you  stay  ^here  and  we'll  do  a  little  business 
together  when  it  gets  dark.  The  house  doesn't  look  quite 
squint-eyed.  Then  this  evening  we  can  go  to  the  '  Cup- 
ping-Glass '  and  have  a  jolly  good  spree,  and  act  the  home- 
coming American.  Besides  it's  not  right  to  go  home 
without  taking  something  for  your  family.  Just  you  wait ! 
You  should  see  '  Laura  with  the  Arm  '  dance  !  She's 
my  cupboard-love,  you  know.  She  can  dance  blindfold 
upon  a  table  full  of  beer-mugs  without  spilling  a  drop. 
There  might  be  a  little  kiss  for  you  too. — Hang  it ! — you 
don't  surely  imagine  you'll  be  made  welcome  anywhere 
else,  do  you  ?  I  can  tell  you  there's  no  one  who'll  stand 
beckoning  you  home. — Very  well,  then  go  to  the  devil, 
you  fool,  and  remember  me  to  your  monthly  nurse  !  When 
you're  tired  of  family  life,  you  can  ask  for  me  at  my  address, 
the  '  Cupping-Glass.' "  His  hoarse,  hollow  voice  cut 
through  the  clear  spring  air  as  he  shouted  the  last  words 
with  his  hand  to  his  mouth. 

Pelle  went  on  quickly,  as  though  anxious  to  leave 
something  behind  him.  He  had  had  an  insane  hope  of 
being  received  in  some  kind  way  or  other  when  he  came 
out — comrades  singing,  perhaps,  or  a  woman  and  two 
children  standing  on  the  white  highroad,  waiting  for  him  ! 
And  there  had  only  been  Ferdinand  to  meet  him  !  Well, 
it  had  been  a  damper,  and  now  he  shook  off  the  disappoint- 
ment and  set  out  at  a  good  pace.  The  active  movement 
set  his  pulses  beating.  The  sky  had  never  before  been  so 
bright  as  it  was  to-day  ;  the  sun  shone  right  into  his  heart. 
There  was  a  smiling  greeting  in  it  all — in  the  wind  that 
threw  itself  into  his  very  arms,  in  the  fresh  earth  and  in 


DAYBREAK  13 

the  running  water  in  the  ditches.  Welcome  back  again, 
Pelle! 

How  wide  and  fair  the  world  looks  when  you've  spent 
years  within  four  bare  walls !  Down  in  the  south  the 
clouds  were  like  the  breast  of  a  great  bright  bird,  one  of 
those  that  come  a  long  way  every  year  with  summer  in  the 
beat  of  their  strong  wings  ;  and  on  all  sides  lay  the  open, 
white  roads,  pointing  onwards  with  bright  assurances. 

For  the  fourth  time  he  was  setting  out  to  conquer  the 
world,  and  this  time  it  was  in  bitter  earnest.  There  had 
always  before  proved  to  be  something  more  behind,  but 
now  he  felt  that  what  he  should  now  set  out  upon  would 
be  decisive  :  if  he  was  victorious  now,  he  would  conquer 
eternity.  This  time  it  must  be  either  for  weal  or  woe,  and 
all  that  he  possesseed  he  was  now  bringing  into  the  field. 
He  had  never  before  been  so  heavily  equipped.  Far  off 
he  could  still  make  out  the  dome  of  the  prison,  which 
stood  there  like  a  huge  mill  over  the  descent  to  the  nether 
world,  and  ground  misery  into  crime  in  the  name  of 
humanity.  It  sucked  down  every  one  who  was  exposed 
to  life's  uncertainty  ;  he  had  himself  hung  in  the  funnel 
and  felt  how  its  whirling  drew  him  down. 

But  Pelle  had  been  too  well  equipped.  Hitherto  he 
had  successfully  converted  everything  into  means  of 
rising,  and  he  took  this  in  the  same  way.  His  hair  was  no 
longer  fair,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  his  mind  was  magically 
filled  with  a  secret  knowledge  of  the  inner  nature  of  things, 
for  he  had  sat  at  the  root  of  all  things,  and  by  listening  had 
drawn  it  out  of  the  solitude.  He  had  been  sitting  moping 
in  the  dark  mountain  like  Prince  Fortune,  while  Eternity 
sang  to  him  of  the  great  wonder.  The  spirits  of  evil  had 
carried  him  away  into  the  mountains  ;  that  was  all.  And 
now  they  had  set  him  free  again,  believing  that  he  had 
become  a  troll  like  all  his  predecessors.  But  Pelle  was 


i4  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

not  bewitched.  He  had  already  consumed  many  things 
in  his  growth,  and  this  was  added  to  the  rest.  What  did 
a  little  confinement  signify  as  compared  with  the  slow 
drip,  drip,  of  centuries  ?  Had  he  not  been  born  with  a 
caul,  upon  which  neither  steel  nor  poison  made  any 
impression  ? 

He  sat  down  on  an  elevation,  pulled  off  his  cap,  and  let 
the  cool  breeze  play  upon  his  forehead.  It  was  full  of  rich 
promises ;  in  its  vernal  wandering  over  the  earth  it  had 
gathered  up  all  that  could  improve  and  strengthen,  and 
loaded  him  with  it.  Look  around  you,  Pelle  ! 

On  all  sides  the  soil  was  being  prepared,  the  plough- 
teams  nodded  up  the  gentle  inclines  and  disappeared  down 
the  other  side.  A  thin  vapour  rose  from  the  soil ;  it  was 
the  last  of  the  cold  evaporating  in  the  declining  spring 
day.  Some  way  down  a  few  red  cottages  smilingly  faced 
the  sunset,  and  still  farther  on  lay  the  town  with  its  eternal 
cloud  of  smoke  hanging  over  it. 

What  would  his  future  be  like  down  there  ?  And  how 
did  matters  stand  ?  Had  the  new  made  its  way  to  the 
front,  or  would  he  once  more  have  to  submit  to  an  extor- 
tioner, get  only  the  bare  necessaries  of  life  out  of  his  work, 
and  see  the  rest  disappear  into  some  one  else's  pocket  ? 
A  number  of  new  factories  had  grown  up,  and  now  formed 
quite  a  belt  about  the  city,  with  their  hundreds  of  giant 
chimneys  stretching  up  into  the  sky.  But  something 
must  be  going  on,  since  they  were  not  smoking.  Was  it 
a  wages  conflict  ? 

He  was  now  going  to  lay  plans  for  his  life,  build  it  up 
again  upon  the  deep  foundation  that  had  been  laid  in  his 
solitude  ;  and  yet  he  knew  absolutely  nothing  of  the  con- 
ditions down  in  the  town  !  Well,  he  had  friends  in  thou- 
sands ;  the  town  was  simply  lying  waiting  to  receive  him 
with  open  arms,  more  fond  of  him  than  ever  because  of 


DAYBREAK  15 

all  he  had  suffered.  With  all  his  ignorance  he  had  been 
able  to  lead  them  on  a  little  way  ;  the  development  had 
chosen  him  as  its  blind  instrument,  and  it  had  been  success- 
ful ;  but  now  he  was  going  to  lead  them  right  into  the 
land,  for  now  he  felt  the  burden  of  life  within  him. 

Hullo  !  if  he  wasn't  building  castles  in  the  air  just  as 
in  the  old  days,  and  forgetting  all  that  the  prison  cell  had 
taught  him  so  bitterly  !  The  others'  good  indeed !  He 
had  been  busily  concerned  for  the  homes  of  others,  and 
had  not  even  succeeded  in  building  his  own !  What 
humbug  !  Down  there  were  three  neglected  beings  who 
would  bring  accusations  against  him,  and  what  was  the 
use  of  his  sheltering  himself  behind  the  welfare  of  the 
many  ?  What  was  the  good  of  receiving  praise  from 
tens  of  thousands  and  being  called  benefactor  by  the  whole 
world,  if  those  three  whose  welfare  had  been  entrusted  to 
him  accused  him  of  having  failed  them  ?  He  had  often 
enough  tried  to  stifle  their  accusing  voices,  but  in  there  it 
was  not  possible  to  stifle  anything  into  silence. 

Pelle  still  had  no  doubt  that  he  was  chosen  to  accom- 
plish something  for  the  masses,  but  it  had  become  of  such 
secondary  importance  when  he  recollected  that  he  had 
neglected  his  share  of  that  which  was  the  duty  of  every 
one.  He  had  mistaken  small  for  great,  and  believed  that 
when  he  accomplished  something  that  no  one  else  could 
do,  he  might  in  return  pay  less  attention  to  ordinary  every- 
day duties  ;  but  the  fates  ordained  that  the  burden  of 
life  should  be  laid  just  where  every  one  could  help.  And 
now  he  was  coming  back  like  a  poor  beggar,  who  had 
conquered  everything  except  the  actual,  and  therefore 
possessed  nothing,  and  had  to  beg  for  mercy.  Branded 
as  a  criminal,  he  must  now  begin  at  the  beginning,  and 
accomplish  that  which  he  had  not  been  able  to  do  in  the 
days  of  his  power.  It  would  be  difficult  to  build  his  home 


16  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

under  these  circumstances,  and  who  was  there  to  help  him  ? 
Those  three  who  could  have  spoken^  for  him  he  had  left 
to  their  own  devices  as  punishment  for  an  offence  which 
in  reality  was  his  own. 

He  had  never  before  set  out  in  such  a  poverty-stricken 
state.  He  did  not  even  come  like  one  who  had  something 
to  forgive  :  his  prison-cell  had  left  him  nothing.  He  had 
had  time  enough  there  to  go  carefully  over  the  whole 
matter,  and  everything  about  Ellen  that  he  had  before 
been  too  much  occupied  to  notice  or  had  felt  like  a  silent 
opposition  to  his  projects,  now  stood  out  clearly,  and 
formed  itself,  against  his  will,  into  the  picture  of  a  woman 
who  never  thought  of  herself,  but  only  of  the  care  of  her 
little  world  and  how  she  could  sacrifice  herself.  He  could 
not  afford  to  give  up  any  of  his  right  here,  and  marshalled 
all  his  accusations  against  her,  bringing  forward  laws  and 
morals  ;  but  it  all  failed  completely  to  shake  the  image, 
and  only  emphasised  yet  more  the  strength  of  her  nature. 
She  had  sacrificed  everything  for  him  and  the  children,  her 
one  desire  being  to  see  them  happy.  Each  of  his  attacks 
only  washed  away  a  fresh  layer  of  obstructing  mire,  and 
made  the  sacrifice  in  her  action  stand  out  more  clearly. 
It  was  because  she  was  so  unsensual  and  chaste  that  she 
could  act  as  she  had  done.  Alas  !  she  had  had  to  pay 
dearly  for  his  remissness  ;  it  was  the  mother  who,  in  their 
extreme  want,  gave  her  own  body  to  nourish  her  offspring. 

Pelle  would  not  yield,  but  fought  fiercely  against  con- 
viction. He  had  been  robbed  of  freedom  and  the  right 
to  be  a  human  being  like  others,  and  now  solitude  was 
about  to  take  from  him  all  that  remained  to  sustain  him. 
Even  if  everything  joined  together  against  him,  he  was  not 
wrong,  he  would  not  be  wrong.  It  was  he  who  had  brought 
the  great  conflict  to  an  end  at  the  cost  of  his  own — and 
he  had  found  Ellen  to  be  a  prostitute  !  His  thoughts 


DAYBREAK  17 

clung  to  this  word,  and  shouted  it  hoarsely,  unceasingly — 
prostitute !  prostitute !  He  did  not  connect  it  with 
anything,  but  only  wanted  to  drown  the  clamour  of  accu- 
sations on  all  sides  which  were  making  him  still  more 
naked  and  miserable. 

At  first  letters  now  and  then  came  to  him,  probably 
from  old  companions-in-arms,  perhaps  too  from  Ellen : 
he  did  not  know,  for  he  refused  to  take  them.  He  hated 
Ellen  because  she  was  the  stronger,  hated  in  impotent 
defiance  everything  and  everybody.  Neither  she  nor 
any  one  else  should  have  the  satisfaction  of  being  any 
comfort  to  him  ;  since  he  had  been  shut  up  as  an  unclean 
person,  he  had  better  keep  himself  quite  apart  from  them. 
He  would  make  his  punishment  still  more  hard,  and  pur- 
posely increased  his  forlornness,  kept  out  of  his  thoughts 
everything  that  was  near  and  dear  to  him,  and  dragged 
the  painful  things  into  the  foreground.  Ellen  had  of 
course  forgotten  him  for  some  one  else,  and  had  perhaps 
turned  the  children's  thoughts  from  him  ;  they  would 
certainly  be  forbidden  to  mention  the  word  "  father." 
He  could  distinctly  see  them  all  three  sitting  happily 
round  the  lamp  ;  and  when  some  turn  in  the  conversation 
threatened  to  lead  it  to  the  subject  of  himself,  a  coldness 
and  stillness  as  of  death  suddenly  fell  upon  them.  He 
mercilessly  filled  his  existence  with  icy  acknowledgment 
on  all  points,  and  believed  he  revenged  himself  by  breathing 
in  the  deadly  cold. 

After  a  prolonged  period  of  this  he  was  attacked  with 
frenzy,  dashed  himself  blindly  against  the  walls,  and 
shouted  that  he  wanted  to  get  out.  To  quiet  him  he  was 
put  into  a  strait -waistcoat  and  removed  to  a  pitch-dark 
cell.  On  the  whole  he  was  one  of  the  so-called  defiant 
prisoners,  who  meant  to  kick  against  the  pricks,  and  he 
was  treated  accordingly. 
VOL.  iv.  c 


i8  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

But  one  night  when  he  lay  groaning  after  a  punish- 
ment, and  saw  the  angry  face  of  God  in  the  darkness,  he 
suddenly  became  silent.  "  Are  you  a  human  being  ?  " 
it  said,  "  and  cannot  even  bear  a  little  suffering  ?  "  Pelle 
was  startled.  He  had  never  known  that  there  was  any- 
thing particularly  human  in  suffering.  But  from  that 
night  he  behaved  quietly,  with  a  listening  expression,  as 
if  he  heard  something  through  the  walls.  "Now  he's 
become  quiet,"  said  the  gaoler  who  was  looking  at  him 
through  the  peep-hole. .  "  It  won't  be  long  before  he's 
an  idiot !  " 

But  Pelle  had  only  come  out  on  the  other  side  ;  he 
was  staring  bravely  into  the  darkness  to  see  God's  face 
once  more,  but  in  a  gentler  guise.  The  first  thing  he  saw 
was  Ellen  again,  sitting  there  beautiful,  exculpated,  made 
more  desirable  by  all  his  accusations.  How  great  and 
fateful  all  petty  things  became  here  !  What  was  the  good 
of  defending  himself  ?  She  was  his  fate,  and  he  would 
have  to  surrender  unconditionally.  He  still  did  not  com- 
prehend her,  but  he  had  a  consciousness  of  greater  laws 
for  life,  laws  that  raised  her  and  made  him  small.  She 
and  hers  passed  undefiled  through  places  where  he  stuck 
fast  in  the  surface  mire. 

She  seemed  to  him  to  grow  in  here,  and  led  his  thoughts 
behind  the  surface,  where  they  had  never  been  before. 
Her  unfailing  mother-love  was  like  a  beating  pulse  that 
rose  from  the  invisible  and  revealed  hidden  mystical 
forces — the  perceptible  rhythm  of  a  great  heart  which  beat 
in  concealment  behind  everything.  Her  care  resembled 
that  of  God  Himself ;  she  was  nearer  to  the  springs  of 
life  than  he. 

The  springs  of  life  !  Through  her  the  expression  for 
the  first  time  acquired  a  meaning  for  him.  It  was  on  the 
whole  as  if  she  re-created  him,  and  by  occupying  himself 


DAYBREAK  19 

with  her  ever  enigmatical  nature,  his  thoughts  were  turned 
farther  and  farther  inwards.  He  suspected  the  presence 
of  strong  currents  which  bore  the  whole  thing  ;  and  some- 
times in  the  silence  of  his  cell  he  seemed  to  hear  his  ex- 
istence flowing,  flowing  like  a  broad  stream,  and  emptying 
itself  out  there  where  his  thoughts  had  never  ventured 
to  roam.  What  became  of  the  days  and  the  years  with 
all  that  they  had  held  ?  The  ever  present  Ellen,  who  had 
never  herself  given  a  thought  to  the  unseen,  brought  Pelle 
face  to  face  with  infinity. 

While  all  this  was  going  on  within  him,  they  sang  one 
Sunday  during  the  prison  service  Grundtvig's  hymn,  "  The 
former  days  have  passed  away."  The  hymn  expressed 
all  that  he  had  himself  vaguely  thought,  and  touched  him 
deeply  ;  the  verses  came  to  him  in  his  narrow  pen  like 
waves  from  a  mighty  ocean,  which  rolled  ages  in  to  the 
shore  in  monotonous  power.  He  suddenly  and  strongly 
realised  the  passage  of  generations  of  human  beings  over 
the  earth,  and  boldly  grasped  what  he  had  until  now  only 
dimly  suspected,  namely  his  own  connection  with  them 
all,  both  those  who  were  living  then  and  all  those  who  had 
gone  before.  How  small  his  own  idea  of  union  had  been 
when  measured  by  this  immense  community  of  souls, 
and  what  a  responsibility  was  connected  with  each  one  ! 
He  understood  now  how  fatal  it  was  to  act  recklessly,  then 
break  off  and  leave  everything.  In  reality  you  could 
never  leave  anything  ;  the  very  smallest  thing  you  shirked 
would  be  waiting  for  you  as  your  fate  at  the  next  mile- 
stone. And  who,  indeed,  was  able  to  overlook  an  action  ? 
You  had  to  be  lenient  continually,  and  at  last  it  would 
turn  out  that  you  had  been  lenient  to  yourself. 

Pelle  was  taking  in  wisdom,  and  his  own  heart  con- 
firmed it.  The  thought  of  Ellen  filled  his  mind  more  and 
more ;  he  had  lost  her,  and  yet  he  could  not  get  beyond 


20  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

her.  Did  she  still  love  him  ?  This  question  pursued 
him  day  and  night  with  ever  increasing  vehemence,  until 
even  his  life  seemed  to  depend  upon  it.  He  felt,  as  he 
gazed  questioningly  into  his  solitude,  that  he  would  be 
worthless  if  he  did  not  win  her  back.  New  worlds  grew 
up  before  him  ;  he  could  dimly  discern  the  great  con- 
nection between  things,  and  thought  he  could  see  how 
deep  down  the  roots  of  life  stretched,  drawing  nourishment 
from  the  very  darkness  in  which  he  dwelt.  But  to  this 
he  received  no  answer. 

He  never  dreamt  of  writing  to  her.  God  had  His  own 
way  of  dealing  with  the  soul,  a  way  with  which  one  did  not 
interfere.  It  would  have  to  come  like  all  the  rest,  and 
he  lulled  himself  with  the  foolish  hope  that  Ellen  would 
come  and  visit  him,  for  he  was  now  in  the  right  mood  to 
receive  her.  On  Sundays  he  listened  eagerly  to  the  heavy 
clang  of  the  gate.  It  meant  visitors  to  the  prisoners  ; 
and  when  the  gaoler  came  along  the  corridor  rattling 
his  keys,  Pelle's  heart  beat  suffocatingly.  This  repeated 
itself  Sunday  after  Sunday,  and  then  he  gave  up  hope  and 
resigned  himself  to  his  fate. 

After  a  long  time,  however,  fortune  favoured  him  and 
brought  him  a  greeting. 

Pelle  took  no  personal  part  in  the  knocking  that  every 
evening  after  the  lights  were  out  sounded  through  the 
immense  building  as  if  a  thousand  death-ticks  were  at 
work.  He  had  enough  of  his  own  to  think  about,  and 
only  knocked  those  messages  on  that  had  to  pass  through 
his  cell.  One  day,  however,  a  new  prisoner  was  placed 
in  the  cell  next  to  his,  and  woke  him.  He  was  a  regular 
frequenter  of  the  establishment,  and  immediately  set  about 
proclaiming  his  arrival  in  all  directions.  It  was  Druk- 
Valde,  "  Widow  "  Rasmussen's  idler  of  a  sweetheart,  who 
used  to  stand  all  the  winter  through  in  the  gateway  in 


DAYBREAK  21 

Chapel  Road,  and  spit  over  the  toes  of  his  well-polished 
shoes. 

Yes,  Valde  knew  Pelle's  family  well ;  his  sweetheart 
had  looked  after  the  children  when  Ellen,  during  the  great 
conflict,  began  to  go  out  to  work.  Ellen  had  been  very 
successful,  and  still  held  her  head  high.  She  sewed  uppers 
and  had  a  couple  of  apprentices  to  help  her,  and  she  was 
really  doing  pretty  well.  She  did  not  associate  with  any  one, 
not  even  with  her  relatives,  for  she  never  left  her  children. 

Druk- Valde  had  to  go  to  the  wall  every  evening ;  the 
most  insignificant  detail  was  of  the  greatest  importance. 
Pelle  could  see  Ellen  as  if  she  were  standing  in  the  dark- 
ness before  him,  pale,  always  clad  in  black,  always  serious. 
She  had  broken  with  her  parents ;  she  had  sacrificed 
everything  for  his  sake !  She  even  talked  about  him  so 
that  the  children  should  not  have  forgotten  him  by  the 
time  he  came  back,  "  The  little  beggars  think  you're 
travelling,"  said  Valde. 

So  everything  was  all  right !  It  was  like  sunshine  in 
his  heart  to  know  that  she  was  waiting  faithfully  for  him 
although  he  had  cast  her  off.  All  the  ice  must  melt  and 
disappear  :  he  was  a  rich  man  in  spite  of  everything. 

Did  she  bear  his  name  ?  he  asked  eagerly.  It  would 
be  like  her — intrepid  as  she  was — defiantly  to  write  "  Pelle  " 
in  large  letters  on  the  door-plate. 

Yes,  of  course !  There  was  no  such  thing  as  hiding 
there  !  Lasse  Fredrik  and  his  sister  were  big  now,  and 
little  Boy  Comfort  was  a  huge  fellow  for  his  age — a  regular 
little  fatty.  To  see  him  sitting  in  his  perambulator  when 
they  wheeled  him  out  on  Sundays,  was  a  sight  for  gods  ! 

Pelle  stood  in  the  darkness  as  though  stunned.  Boy 
Comfort  a  little  fellow  sitting  in  a  perambulator !  And  it 
was  not  an  adopted  child  either  ;  Druk- Valde  so  evidently 
took  it  to  be  his.  Ellen  !  Ellen  ! 


22  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

He  went  no  more  to  the  wall.  Druk-Valde  knocked 
in  vain,  and  his  six  months  came  to  an  end  without  Pelle 
noticing  It.  This  time  he  made  no  disturbance,  but  shrank 
under  a  feeling  of  being  accursed.  Providence  must  be 
hostile  to  him,  since  the  same  blow  had  been  aimed  at  him 
twice.  In  the  daytime  he  sought  relief  in  hard  work  and 
reading ;  at  night  he  lay  on  his  dirty,  mouldy-smelling 
mattress  and  wept.  He  no  longer  tried  to  overthrow  his 
conception  of  Ellen,  for  he  knew  it  was  hopeless  :  she  still 
tragically  overshadowed  everything.  She  was  his  fate 
and  still  filled  his  thoughts,  but  not  brightly  ;  there  was 
indeed  nothing  bright  or  great  about  it  now,  only  imperative 
necessity. 

And  then  his  work !  For  a  man  there  was  always 
work  to  fall  back  upon,  when  happiness  failed  him.  Pelle 
set  to  work  in  earnest,  and  the  man  who  was  at  the  head 
of  the  prison  shoemaking  department  liked  to  have  him, 
for  he  did  much  more  than  was  required  of  him.  In  his 
leisure  hours  he  read  diligently,  and  entered  with  zest  into 
the  prison  school-work,  taking  up  especially  history  and 
languages.  The  prison  chaplain  and  the  teachers  took 
an  interest  in  him,  and  procured  books  for  him  which  were 
generally  unobtainable  by  the  prisoners. 

When  he  was  thoroughly  tired  out  he  allowed  his 
mind  to  seek  rest  in  thoughts  of  his  home.  His  weariness 
cast  a  conciliatory  light  over  everything,  and  he  would  lie 
upon  his  pallet  and  in  imagination  spend  happy  hours 
with  his  children,  including  that  young  cuckoo  who  always 
looked  at  him  with  such  a  strangely  mocking  expression. 
To  Ellen  alone  he  did  not  get  near.  She  had  never  been 
so  beautiful  as  now  in  her  unapproachableness,  but  she 
received  all  his  assurances  in  mysterious  silence,  only  gazing 
at  him  with  her  unfathomable  eyes.  He  had  forsaken 
her  and  the  home ;  he  knew  that ;  but  had  he  not  also 


DAYBREAK  23 

made  reparation  ?  It  was  her  child  he  held  on  his  knee, 
and  he  meant  to  build  the  home  up  again.  He  had  had 
enough  of  an  outlaw's  life,  and  needed  a  heart  upon  which 
to  rest  his  weary  head. 

All  this  was  dreaming,  but  now  he  was  on  his  way 
down  to  begin  from  the  beginning.  He  did  not  feel  very 
courageous  ;  the  uncertainty  held  so  many  possibilities. 
Were  the  children  and  Ellen  well,  and  was  she  still  waiting 
for  him  ?  And  his  comrades  ?  How  would  his  fate  shape 
itself  ? 

*  *  *  *  * 

Pelle  was  so  little  accustomed  to  being  in  the  fresh 
air  that  it  affected  him  powerfully,  and,  much  against  his 
will,  he  fell  asleep  as  he  leaned  back  upon  the  bank.  The 
longing  to  reach  the  end  of  his  journey  made  him  dream 
that  he  was  still  walking  on  and  making  his  entry  into  the 
city ;  but  he  did  not  recognise  it,  everything  was  so  changed. 
People  were  walking  about  in  their  best  clothes,  either  going 
to  the  wood  or  to  hear  lectures. 

"  Who  is  doing  the  work  then  ?  "  he  asked  of  a  man 
whom  he  met. 

"  Work  !  "  exclaimed  the  man  in  surprise.  "  Why 
the  machines,  of  course !  We  each  have  three  hours  at 
them  in  the  day,  but  it'll  soon  be  changed  to  two,  for  the 
machines  are  getting  more  and  more  clever.  It's  splendid 
to  live  and  to  know  that  there  are  no  slaves  but  those 
inanimate  machines ;  and  for  that  we  have  to  thank  a 
man  caUed  Pelle." 

"  Why,  that's  me  !  "  exclaimed  Pelle,  laughing  with 
pleasure. 

"  You  !  What  absurdity  !  Why,  you're  a  young  man, 
and  all  this  happened  many  years  ago." 

"  It  is  me  all  the  same  !  Don't  you  see  that  my  hair 
is  grey  and  my  forehead  lined  ?  I  got  like  that  in  fighting 


24  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

for  you.  Don't  you  recognise  me  ?  "  But  people  only 
laughed  at  him,  and  he  had  to  go  on. 

"  I'll  go  to  Ellen  !  "  he  thought  disheartened.  "  She'll 
speak  up  for  me  !  "  And  while  the  thought  was  in  his 
mind,  he  found  himself  in  her  parlour. 

"  Sit  down  !  "  she  said  kindly.  "  My  husband'll  be 
here  directly." 

"  Why,  I'm  your  husband  !  "  he  exclaimed,  hardly 
able  to  keep  back  his  tears  ;  but  she  looked  at  him  coldly 
and  without  recognition,  and  moved  towards  the  door. 

"  I'm  Pelle  !  "  he  said,  holding  out  his  hand  beseech- 
ingly. "  Don't  you  know  me  ?  " 

Ellen  opened  her  lips  to  cry  out,  and  at  that  moment 
the  husband  appeared  threateningly  in  the  doorway.  From 
behind  him  Lasse  Fredrik  and  Sister  peeped  out  in  alarm, 
and  Pelle  saw  with  a  certain  amount  of  satisfaction  that 
there  were  only  the  two.  The  terrible  thing,  however, 
was  that  the  man  was  himself,  the  true  Pelle  with  the  good, 
fair  moustache,  the  lock  of  hair  on  his  forehead  and  the 
go-ahead  expression.  When  he  discovered  this,  it  all 
collapsed  and  he  sank  down  in  despair. 

Pelle  awoke  with  a  start,  bathed  in  perspiration,  and 
saw  with  thankfulness  the  fields  and  the  bright  atmo- 
sphere :  he  was  at  any  rate  still  alive  !  He  rose  and  walked 
on  with  heavy  steps  while  the  spring  breeze  cooled  his 
brow. 

His  road  led  him  to  Norrebro.  The  sun  was  setting 
behind  him  ;  it  must  be  about  the  time  for  leaving  off 
work,  and  yet  no  hooter  sounded  from  the  numerous 
factories,  no  stream  of  begrimed  human  beings  poured 
out  of  the  side  streets.  In  the  little  tea-gardens  in  the 
Frederikssund  Road  sat  workmen's  families  with  per- 
ambulator and  provision-basket ;  they  were  dressed  in 
their  best  and  were  enjoying  the  spring  day.  Was  there 


DAYBREAK  25 

after  all  something  in  his  dream?  If  so,  it  would  be 
splendid  to  come  back  !  He  asked  people  what  was  going 
on,  and  was  told  that  it  was  the  elections.  "  We're  going 
to  take  the  city  to-day  !  "  they  said,  laughing  trium- 
phantly. 

From  the  square  he  turned  into  the  churchyard,  and 
went  down  the  sombre  avenue  of  poplars  to  Chapel  Road. 
Opposite  the  end  of  the  avenue  he  saw  the  two  little 
windows  in  the  second  floor  ;  and  in  his  passionate  longing 
he  seemed  to  see  Ellen  standing  there  and  beckoning.  He 
ran  now,  and  took  the  stairs  three  or  four  at  a  time. 

Just  as  he  was  about  to  pull  the  bell-cord,  he  heard 
strange  voices  within,  and  paused  as  though  paralysed. 
The  door  looked  cold  and  as  if  it  had  nothing  to  do  with 
him  ;  and  there  was  no  door-plate.  He  went  slowly  down 
the  stairs  and  asked  in  the  greengrocer's  cellar  below 
whether  a  woman  who  sewed  uppers  did  not  live  on  the 
second  floor  to  the  left.  She  had  been  forsaken  by  her 
husband  and  had  two  children — three,  he  corrected  himself 
humbly  ;  what  had  become  of  them  ? 

The  deputy-landlord  was  a  new  man  and  could  give 
him  no  information ;  so  he  went  up  into  the  house  again, 
and  asked  from  door  to  door  but  without  any  result.  Poor 
people  do  not  generally  live  long  in  one  place. 

Pelle  wandered  about  the  streets  at  haphazard.  He 
could  think  of  no  way  of  getting  Ellen's  address,  and  gave 
it  up  disheartened ;  in  his  forlorn  condition  he  had  the 
impression  that  people  avoided  him,  and  it  discouraged 
him.  His  soul  was  sick  with  longing  for  a  kind  word  and 
a  caress,  and  there  was  no  one  to  give  them.  No  eyes 
brightened  at  seeing  him  out  again,  and  he  hunted  in  vain 
in  house  after  house  for  some  one  who  would  sympathise 
with  him.  A  sudden  feeling  of  hatred  arose  in  him,  an 
evil  desire  to  hit  out  at  everything  and  go  recklessly  on. 


26  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Twilight  was  coming  on.  Below  the  churchyard  wall 
some  newspaper-boys  were  playing  "  touch  last  "  on  their 
bicycles.  They  managed  their  machines  like  circus- 
riders,  and  resembled  little  gauchos,  throwing  them  back 
and  running  upon  the  back  wheel  only,  and  bounding 
over  obstacles.  They  had  strapped  their  bags  on  their 
backs,  and  their  blue  cap-bands  flapped  about  their  ears 
like  pennons. 

Pelle  seated  himself  upon  a  bench,  and  absently 
followed  their  reckless  play,  while  his  thoughts  went  back 
to  his  own  careless  boyhood.  A  boy  of  ten  or  twelve 
took  the  lead  in  break-neck  tricks,  shouting  and  com- 
manding ;  he  was  the  chief  of  the  band,  and  maintained 
the  leadership  with  a  high  hand.  His  face,  with  its  snub 
nose,  beamed  with  lively  impudence,  and  his  cap  rested 
upon  two  exceptionally  prominent  ears. 

The  boys  began  to  make  of  the  stranger  a  target  for 
their  exuberant  spirits.  In  dashing  past  him  they  pre- 
tended to  lose  control  of  their  machine,  so  that  it  almost 
went  over  his  foot ;  and  at  last  the  leader  suddenly  snatched 
off  his  cap.  Pelle  quietly  picked  it  up,  but  when  the  boy 
came  circling  back  with  measured  strokes  as  though  ponder- 
ing some  fresh  piece  of  mischief  he  sprang  up  and  seized  him 
by  the  collar. 

"  Now  you  shall  have  a  thrashing,  you  scamp  !  "  he 
said,  lifting  him  off  his  bicycle.  "  But  it'll  be  just  as  well 
if  you  get  it  from  your  parents.  What's  your  father's 
name  ?  " 

"  He  hasn't  got  a  father !  "  cried  the  other  boys, 
flocking  round  them  threateningly.  "  Let  him  go  !  " 

The  boy  opened  his  lips  to  give  vent  to  a  torrent  of 
bad  language,  but  stopped  suddenly  and  gazed  in  terror 
at  Pelle,  struggling  like  a  mad  thing  to  get  away.  Pelle 
let  him  go  in  surprise,  and  saw  him  mount  his  bicycle  and 


DAYBREAK  27 

disappear  howling.  His  companions  dashed  after  him 
like  a  flight  of  swallows.  "  Wait  a  little,  Lasse  Fredrik  !  " 
they  cried.  Pelle  stood  a  little  while  gazing  after  them,  and 
then  with  bent  head  walked  slowly  into  Norrebro  Street. 

It  was  strange  to  be  walking  again  in  this  street,  which 
had  played  so  great  a  part  in  his  life.  The  traffic  was 
heavier  here  than  in  other  places,  and  the  stone  paving 
made  it  more  so.  A  peculiar  adamantine  self-dependence 
was  characteristic  of  this  district  where  every  step  was 
weighted  with  the  weight  of  labour. 

The  shops  were  the  same,  and  he  also  recognised  several 
of  the  shopkeepers.  He  tried  to  feel  at  home  in  the  crowd, 
and  looked  into  people's  faces,  wondering  whether  any 
one  would  recognise  him.  He  both  wished  and  feared  it, 
but  they  hurried  past,  only  now  and  then  one  of  them 
would  wonder  a  little  at  his  strange  appearance.  He 
himself  knew  most  of  them  as  well  as  if  it  had  been  yester- 
day he  had  had  to  do  with  those  thousands,  for  the  inter- 
mediate years  had  not  thrust  new  faces  in  between  him 
and  the  old  ones.  Now  and  again  he  met  one  of  his  men 
walking  on  the  pavement  with  his  wife  on  his  arm,  while 
others  were  standing  on  the  electric  tramcars  as  drivers 
and  conductors.  Weaklings  and  steady  fellows — they 
were  his  army.  He  could  name  them  by  name  and  was 
acquainted  with  their  family  circumstances.  Well,  a 
good  deal  of  water  had  run  under  the  bridge  since  then  ! 

He  went  into  a  little  inn  for  travelling  artisans,  and 
engaged  a  room. 

"  It's  easy  to  see  that  you've  been  away  from  this 
country  for  a  day  or  two,"  said  the  landlord.  "  Have 
you  been  far  ?  " 

Oh  yes,  Pelle  had  seen  something  of  the  world.  And 
here  at  home  there  had  been  a  good  many  changes.  How 
did  the  Movement  get  on  ? 


28  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Capitally  !  Yes,  awfully  well !  Our  party  has  made 
tremendous  progress  ;  to-day  we  shall  take  the  town  !  " 

"  That'll  make  a  difference  in  things,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  I  wouldn't  say  that  for  certain.  Unemploy- 
ment increases  every  year,  and  it's  all  the  same  who  repre- 
sents the  town  and  sits  in  parliament.  But  we've  got  on 
very  well  as  far  as  prices  go." 

"  Tell  me — there  was  a  man  in  the  Movement  a  few 
years  ago  called  Pelle  ;  what's  become  of  him  ?  " 

The  landlord  scratched  his  parting.  "  Pelle  !  Pelle  ! 
Yes,  of  course.  What  in  the  world  was  there  about  him  ? 
Didn't  he  make  false  coins,  or  rob  a  till  ?  If  I  remember 
right  he  ended  by  going  to  prison.  Well,  well,  there  are 
bad  characters  in  every  movement." 

A  couple  of  workmen,  who  were  sitting  at  a  table  eating 
fried  liver,  joined  in  the  conversation.  "  He  came  a  good 
deal  to  the  front  five  or  six  years  ago,"  said  one  of  them 
with  his  mouth  full.  "  But  there  wasn't  much  in  him  ;  he 
had  too  much  imagination." 

"  He  had  the  gift  of  the  gab  anyhow,"  said  the  other. 
"  I  still  distinctly  remember  him  at  the  great  lock-out. 
He  could  make  you  think  you  were  no  end  of  a  fine  fellow, 
he  could  ?  Well,  that's  all  past  and  gone  !  Your  health, 
comrade  !  " 

Pelle  rose  quietly  and  went  out.  He  was  forgotten ; 
nobody  remembered  anything  about  him,  in  spite  of  all 
that  he  had  fought  for  and  suffered.  Much  must  have 
passed  over  their  heads  since  then,  and  him  they  had 
simply  forgotten. 

He  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  himself,  more  home- 
less here  in  this  street,  which  should  have  been  his  own, 
than  in  any  other  place.  It  was  black  with  people,  but  he 
was  not  carried  with  the  stream  ;  he  resembled  something 
that  has  been  washed  up  to  one  side  and  left  lying. 


DAYBREAK  29 

They  were  all  in  their  best  clothes.  The  workmen  came 
in  crowds  on  their  way  either  from  or  to  the  polling-booths, 
and  some  were  collected  and  accompanied  thither  by  eager 
comrades.  One  man  would  shout  to  another  across  the 
road  through  his  hollowed  hand  :  "Hi,  Petersen  !  I  sup- 
pose you've  voted  ?  "  Everywhere  there  was  excitement 
and  good  humour  :  the  city  was  to  be  taken  ! 

Pelle  went  with  the  stream  over  Queen  Louise's  Bridge 
and  farther  into  the  city.  Here  the  feeling  was  different, 
opinions  were  divided,  people  exchanged  sharp  words. 
Outside  the  newspaper-offices  stood  dense  crowds  impeding 
the  wheel-traffic  as  they  waited  patiently  for  the  results 
that  were  shown  in  the  windows.  Every  time  a  contested 
district  came  in,  a  wave  of  movement  passed  through  the 
crowd,  followed  by  a  mighty  roar  if  a  victory  was  recorded. 
All  was  comparatively  quiet ;  people  stood  outside  the 
offices  of  the  papers  that  bore  the  colour  of  their  party. 
Only  the  quarrelsome  men  gathered  about  their  opponents 
and  had  their  hats  bashed  in.  Within  the  offices  the 
members  of  the  staff  were  passing  busily  backwards  and 
forwards,  hanging  up  the  results  and  correcting  them. 

All  the  cafes  and  restaurants  were  full  of  customers. 
The  telephone  rang  incessantly,  and  messengers  kept 
coming  with  lists  from  the  telegram  bureaus  ;  men  fought 
over  the  results  in  front  of  the  great  blackboard  and 
chances  were  discussed  at  the  tables  and  much  political 
nonsense  was  talked. 

Pelle  had  never  seen  the  city  so  excited,  not  even  during 
the  great  lock-out.  Class  faced  class  with  clenched  fists, 
the  workmen  even  more  eager  than  the  upper  class  :  they 
had  become  out-and-out  politicians.  He  could  see  that 
the  movement  had  shifted  its  centre  of  gravity  over  this. 
What  was  necessary  was  to  gain  seats ;  to-day  they 
expected  to  get  the  upper  hand  in  the  city  and  a  firm 


30  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

footing  out  in  the  country.  Several  of  the  old  leaders  were 
already  in  parliament  and  brought  forward  their  practical 
experience  in  the  debate  ;  their  aim  now  was  nothing  less 
than  to  usurp  the  political  power.  This  was  bold  enough  : 
they  must  have  been  successful  after  all.  He  still  possessed 
his  old  quickness  of  hearing  as  regards  the  general  feeling, 
and  perceived  a  change  in  the  public  tone.  It  had  become 
broader,  more  democratic.  Even  the  upper  classes  sub- 
mitted to  the  ballot  now,  and  condescended  to  fight  for  a 
majority  of  votes. 

Pelle  could  see  no  place  for  himself,  however,  in  this 
conflict.  "  Hi,  you  there  !  I  suppose  you've  voted  ?  " 
men  shouted  to  him  as  they  passed.  Voted  !  He  had  not 
even  the  right  to  vote  !  In  the  battle  that  was  now  being 
fought,  their  old  leader  was  not  even  allowed  to  take  part 
as  an  ordinary  soldier. 

Out  of  the  road !  They  marched  in  small  bands  on 
their  way  to  the  polling-booths  or  the  Assembly  Rooms, 
taking  up  the  whole  pavement,  and  Pelle  readily  moved 
out  of  their  way.  This  time  he  did  not  come  like  a  king's 
son  for  whom  the  whole  world  stood  waiting. 

He  was  of  the  scum  of  the  earth,  neither  more  nor  less, 
one  who  had  been  thrown  aside  and  forgotten.  If  he 
succeeded  in  recalling  himself  to  their  remembrance,  it 
would  only  be  the  bringing  up  of  the  story  of  a  criminal. 
There  was  the  house  where  the  Stolpes  lived.  Perhaps  they 
knew  where  Ellen  was.  But  what  did  it  matter  to  him  ? 
He  had  not  forgotten  Lasse  Fredrik's  terror-stricken  face. 
And  there  was  the  corner  house  where  Morten  had  managed 
the  business.  Ah,  it  was  long  since  their  ways  had  parted  ! 
Morten  had  in  reality  always  envied  him  ;  he  had  not  been 
able  to  bear  his  tremendous  success.  Now  he  would  be 
able  to  crow  over  him  ! 

Anger  and  bitterness  filled  his  heart,  and  his  head  was 


DAYBREAK  31 

confused,  and  his  thoughts,  bred  of  malice,  were  like 
clumsy  fault-finders.  For  years  the  need  of  associating 
with  human  beings  had  been  accumulating  within  him  ; 
and  now  the  whole  thing  gave  way  like  an  avalanche.  He 
could  easily  pick  a  quarrel  with  some  one,  just  to  make 
himself  less  a  matter  of  indifference  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 
Why  shouldn't  he  go  to  the  "  Cupping-Glass  ?  "  He  would 
be  expected  there  at  any  rate. 

Outside  Griffenfeldt  Street  there  was  a  crowd.  A 
number  of  people  had  gathered  round  a  coal-heaver,  who 
was  belabouring  a  lamp-post  with  the  toes  of  his  wooden 
shoes,  at  the  same  time  using  abusive  language.  He  had 
run  against  it  and  had  a  bruise  on  his  forehead.  People 
were  amusing  themselves  at  his  expense. 

As  the  light  from  the  lamp  fell  upon  the  coal-blackened 
face  of  the  drunken  man,  Pelle  recognised  him.  It  was 
Merry  Jacob.  He  pushed  his  way  angrily  through  the 
crowd  and  took  him  by  the  shoulder.  "  What's  the  matter 
with  you,  Jacob  ?  Have  you  become  a  drunkard  ?  "  he 
said  hotly.  "  How's  that  ?  " 

"  It's  got  no  business  to  get  in  the  way  of  an  organised 
workman,"  Jacob  said  indistinctly,  kicking  the  air  to  the 
great  delight  of  the  on-lookers,  who  encouraged  him  to 
continue.  "  I'm  a  member  of  my  organisation,  and  don't 
owe  anything  ;  you  can  see  for  yourselves  !  "  He  pulled 
out  of  his  breast-pocket  a  little  book  in  a  black  leather 
cover,  and  turned  over  its  pages.  "  Just  look  for  your- 
selves !  Member's  subscription  paid,  isn't  it  ?  Strike 
subscription  paid,  isn't  it  ?  Shown  on  entrance,  isn't  it  ? 
Just  you  shut  up  !  Take  it  and  pass  it  round  ;  we  must 
have  our  papers  in  order.  You're  supporting  the  election 
fund,  I  suppose  ?  Go  up  and  vote,  confound  you !  The 
man  who  won't  give  his  mite  is  a  poor  pal.  Who  says 
thief  ?  There's  no  one  here  that  steals.  I'm  an  honest 


32  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

organised "  He  suddenly  began  to  weep,  and  the 

saliva  dropped  from  the  corners  of  his  mouth  on  to  his 
coat,  while  he  made  fearful  grimaces. 

Pelle  managed  to  get  him  into  a  courtyard,  and  washed 
his  wound  at  the  pump.  The  cold  water  made  him  shiver , 
and  his  head  lolled  weakly.  "  Such  a  snotty  blackleg,"  he 
murmured.  "  I'll  get  the  chairman  to  give  him  a  doing 
in  the  paper." 

Suddenly  he  recognised  Pelle.  He  started,  and  con- 
sciousness struggled  to  obtain  control  over  his  dulled  senses. 
"  Why,  is  that  you,  master  ?  "  he  asked  shamefacedly, 
seizing  Pelle's  hand.  "  So  you've  come  back !  I  suppose 
you  think  me  a  beast,  but  what  can  I  do  ?  " 

"  Just  come  along  !  "  said  Pelle  sharply,  anxious  to  get 
away  from  the  crowd  of  spectators. 

They  went  down  Meinung  Street,  Jacob  staggering  along 
in  silence,  and  looking  askance  at  his  former  leader.  He 
walked  a  little  awkwardly,  but  it  came  from  his  work  ;  the 
meeting  with  Pelle  had  made  him  almost  sober.  "  I'm 
sure  you  think  I'm  a  beast,"  he  said  again  at  last  in  a 
pitiful  voice.  "  But  you  see  there's  no  one  to  keep  me 
straight." 

"  It's  the  fault  of  the  brandy,"  said  Pelle  shortly. 

"  Well,  you  may  be  right,  but  a  fellow  needs  a  kind 
word  now  and  then,  and  you  have  to  take  it  where  you 
can  get  it.  Your  pals  look  down  upon  you  and  chuck  you 
out  of  their  set." 

"  What's  the  matter  then  ?  "  asked  Pelle. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  Six  times  five's  the  matter, 
because  I  wouldn't  let  my  old  father  starve  during  the 
lockout.  We  had  a  jolly  good  time  then.  I  was  a  good 
son  !  Didn't  mind  the  fat  purses  of  the  bigwigs  and  a 
little  bread  and  water — and  the  devil  and  his  standpipe  ! 
But  now  they're  singing  another  tune  :  That  man  1  Why, 


DAYBREAK  33 

he's  been  punished  for  theft !  End  of  him.  No  one  asks 
why ;  they've  become  big  men,  you  see.  In  olden  days 
I  was  always  called  Merry  Jacob,  and  the  fellows  liked  to 
be  in  my  shift.  Do  you  know  what  they  call  me 
now  ?  Thieving  Jacob.  Well,  they  don't  say  it  right 
out,  for  if  they  did,  some  one  'ud  crack  their  heads  for 
them  ;  but  that  is  my  name.  Well,  I  say  to  myself, 
perhaps  you  saw  everything  topsy-turvy  in  those  days  ; 
perhaps  after  all  you're  nothing  but  a  thief.  And  then  I 
have  to  drink  to  become  an  honest  man  again." 

"  And  get  in  rages  with  the  lamp-posts  !  Don't  you 
think  you'd  do  better  to  hit  out  at  those  who  wrong  you  ?  " 

Jacob  was  silent  and  hung  his  head ;  the  once  strong, 
bold  fellow  had  become  like  a  dog  that  any  one  might  kick. 
If  it  were  so  dreadful  to  bear  six  times  five  among  one's 
own  people,  what  could  Pelle  say  ?  ' '  How  is  your  brother  ? ' ' 
he  asked,  in  order  to  divert  Jacob's  thoughts  to  something 
brighter.  "  He  was  a  splendid  fellow." 

"  He  hung  himself,"  answered  Jacob  gloomily.  "  He 
couldn't  stand  it  any  longer.  We  broke  into  a  house 
together,  so  as  to  be  equal  about  it ;  and  the  grocer  owed 
the  old  man  money — he'd  worked  for  it — and  they  meant 
to  cheat  him  out  of  it.  So  the  two  old  things  were  starving, 
and  had  no  fire  either ;  and  we  got  them  what  they'd  a 
right  to,  and  it  was  so  splendidly  done  too.  But  afterwards 
when  there  was  a  row  at  the  works,  agitation  and  election 
fuss  and  all  that  kind  of  thing,  they  just  went  and  left  him 
and  me  out.  We  weren't  the  right  sort,  you  see  ;  we  hadn't 
the  right  to  vote.  He  couldn't  get  even  with  the  business 
in  any  other  way  than  by  putting  a  rope  over  the  lamp- 
hook  in  the  ceiling.  I've  looked  at  the  matter  myself  all 
round,  you  see,  but  I  can't  make  anything  of  it."  He 
walked  on  a  little  without  speaking,  and  then  said  :  "  Would 
you  hit  out  properly  now  ?  There's  need  of  a  kind  word." 

VOL.   IV.  D 


34  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Pelle  did  not  answer  ;  it  was  all  too  sad.  He  did  not 
even  hear  the  question. 

"  It  was  chiefly  what  you  said  that  made  me  believe  in 
a  better  time  coming,"  Jacob  continued  persistently,  "  or 
perhaps  my  brother  and  me  would  have  done  differently 
and  things  might  have  gone  better  with  both  of  us.  Well, 
I  suppose  you  believed  it  yourself,  but  what  do  you  think 
now  ?  Do  you  still  believe  in  that  about  the  better  time  ? 
For  I  should  like  to  be  an  honest  man  again." 

Of  course  Pelle  still  believed  in  it. 

"  For  there  aren't  many  who'd  give  a  brass  farthing 
for  that  story  now  ;  but  if  you  say  so — I've  got  faith  in 
you  all  the  same.  Others  wouldn't  have  the  brains  to 
think  of  anything  for  themselves,  and  it  was  like  the  cork 
going  off,  so  to  speak,  for  us  poor  people  when  you  went 
away ;  everything  went  flat.  If  anything  happens,  it 
doesn't  do  for  a  poor  devil  to  look  on  ;  and  every  time  any 
one  wants  to  complain,  he  gets  a  voting-paper  pushed  into 
his  hand  and  they  say  :  Go  and  vote  and  things  will  be 
altered  !  But  confound  it,  that  can't  rouse  a  fellow  who's 
not  learnt  anything  from  the  time  he  was  small.  They'd 
taken  a  lot  of  trouble  about  me  now — whitewashing  me  so 
that  I  could  use  my  right  to  vote  ;  but  they  can't  make  me 
so  that  no  one  looks  down  on  me.  And  so  I  say,  Thank  you 
for  nothing  !  But  if  you  still  believe  in  it,  so  will  I,  for 
I've  got  faith  in  you.  Here's  my  hand  on  it !  " 

Jacob  was  the  same  simple,  good-hearted  fellow  that  he 
had  been  in  former  days  when  he  lived  in  the  attic  in  the 
"  Ark."  There  might  very  well  have  been  a  little  more 
evil  in  him.  But  his  words  warmed  Pelle's  heart.  Here 
was  some  one  who  needed  him,  and  who  still  believed  in 
him  although  he  had  been  maimed  in  the  fight.  He  was 
the  first  of  the  disabled  ones,  and  Pelle  was  prepared  to 
meet  with  more  and  to  hear  their  accusations.  Many  of 


DAYBREAK  35 

them  would  turn  against  him  now  that  he  was  powerless, 
but  he  would  have  to  put  up  with  that.  He  felt  as  though 
he  had  the  strength  for  it  now. 

Pelle  went  into  the  street  again,  letting  his  feet  carry 
him  where  they  would,  while  he  thought  of  the  past  and 
the  future.  They  had  been  so  certain  that  a  new  age 
would  dawn  upon  them  at  once  !  The  new,  great  truth 
had  been  so  self-evident  that  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  old 
conditions  must  fall  before  it  as  at  a  magic  word  ;  and 
now  the  everyday  reality  had  worn  the  gloss  off  it.  As  far 
as  he  could  see,  nothing  particular  had  happened,  and  what 
was  there  to  happen  ?  That  was  not  the  way  to  overturn 
systems.  From  Merry  Jacob's  opinion  he  could  draw  his 
own,  but  he  was  no  longer  despondent,  he  did  not  mind 
what  happened.  He  would  have  had  no  objection  to 
challenge  the  opinion  of  his  old  comrades  at  once,  and  find 
out  how  he  stood. 

He  had  passed  through  several  side  streets  when  he 
suddenly  found  himself  in  front  of  a  large,  well-lighted 
building  with  a  broad  flight  of  steps,  up  which  people  were 
nocking.  It  was  one  of  the  working-men's  halls,  and 
festivities  were  being  held  in  it  to  celebrate  the  elections. 
Pelle  went,  by  force  of  habit,  with  the  stream. 

He  remained  at  the  back  of  the  hall,  and  used  his  eyes 
as  though  he  had  just  dropped  down  from  some  other 
planet  ;  strange  feelings  welled  up  within  him  when  he 
found  himself  once  more  among  the  people.  For  a  moment 
he  felt  a  vehement  desire  to  cry  :  Here  I  am  !  and  stretch 
out  his  arms  to  them  all ;  but  he  quickly  controlled  it,  and 
his  face  regained  its  stony  composure. 

This  then  was  his  army  from  the  conflict.  They  were 
decidedly  better  clothed  than  on  the  day  when  he  led  them 
in  triumph  into  the  city  as  its  true  citizens  ;  they  carried 
their  heads  higher  too,  did  not  get  behind  one  another,  but 


36  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

claimed  room  for  themselves.  They  had  more  to  eat,  he 
could  see,  for  their  faces  shone  more  ;  and  their  eyes  had 
become  indolent  in  expression,  and  no  longer  looked 
hungrily  out  into  uncertainty  but  moved  quietly  and  un- 
hesitatingly from  place  to  place.  They  were  prepared  for 
another  long  march,  and  perhaps  it  was  as  well ;  great 
things  did  not  happen  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

He  was  aroused  from  his  thoughts  by  discovering  that 
the  people  nearest  to  him  were  turning  and  gazing  at  him. 
The  number  of  faces  looking  round  at  him  increased,  and 
the  words,  "  Pelle  is  here  !  "  passed  in  a  murmur  through 
the  crowd.  Hundreds  of  eyes  were  directed  towards  him 
questioningly  and  searchingly,  some  of  them  in  evident 
expectation  of  something  unusual  happening  at  once. 

The  movement  became  general — a  wave  that  carried 
him  resistlessly  to  the  front  of  the  hall  and  up  on  to  the 
platform.  A  great  roar  like  the  breaking  of  surf  arose  on 
all  sides  of  him  and  stupefied  his  sensitive  brain  in  which 
silence  sat  always  putting  together  a  fine  new  world  about 
which  no  one  else  knew.  Suddenly  everything  was  still, 
so  still  that  the  solitude  was  again  audible  to  his  ear. 

Pelle  spoke  quietly  and  with  confidence.  His  words 
were  a  greeting  to  them  from  a  world  they  as  yet  did  not 
know,  the  great  solitude  through  which  man  must  move 
alone — without  loud-voiced  companions  to  encourage  him — 
and  listen  until  he  hears  his  own  heart  beat  within  it.  He 
sits  in  a  cell  again,  like  the  first  original  germ  of  life,  alone 
and  forsaken  ;  and  over  him  a  spider  skilfully  spins  its  web. 
At  first  he  is  angry  with  the  busy  insect,  and  tears  down 
the  web  ;  but  the  insect  begins  again  patiently.  And  this 
suddenly  becomes  a  consolatory  lesson  to  him  never  to 
give  up ;  he  becomes  fond  of  the  little  vigilant  creature 
that  makes  its  web  as  skilfully  as  if  it  had  a  great  responsi- 
bility, and  he  asks  himself  whether  it  is  at  all  conscious 


DAYBREAK  37 

of  his  existence.  Is  it  sorry  for  him  in  his  forsaken  con- 
dition, since  it  does  not  move  to  another  place,  but  patiently 
builds  its  web  up  again,  finer  and  finer,  as  if  it  had  only 
been  torn  down  because  it  was  not  made  well  enough  ? 
He  bitterly  regrets  his  conduct,  and  would  give  much  for 
a  sign  that  the  little  insect  is  not  angry  with  him,  for  no 
one  can  afford  to  offend  another  ;  even  the  smallest  creature 
is  of  vital  importance  to  you.  In  the  loneliness  of  the 
prison  cell  you  learn  solidarity.  And  one  day  when  he  is 
sitting  reading,  the  spider,  in  its  busy  efforts  to  carry  its 
thread  past  him,  drops  down  and  uses  his  shoulder  as  a 
temporary  attachment.  Never  before  has  such  confidence 
been  shown  him  notwithstanding  everything ;  the  little 
insect  knew  how  a  hardened  criminal  should  be  taken.  It 
taught  him  that  he  had  both  a  heart  and  a  soul  to  take 
care  of.  A  greeting  to  his  comrades  from  the  great  silence 
that  was  waiting  to  speak  to  them  one  by  one. 

He  spoke  from  the  depths  of  his  soul,  and  saw  surprise 
in  their  faces.  What  in  the  world  did  he  want  ?  Did  he 
want  them  all  to  go  to  prison  only  because  he  himself  had 
been  there  ?  Was  that  all  that  was  left  of  the  old  Pelle — 
Lightning,  as  he  was  then  called  ?  He  was  certainly 
rather  weak  in  the  legs  ;  there  wasn't  much  of  his  eloquence 
left  !  They  quickly  lost  interest  and  began  to  talk  together 
in  undertones  ;  there  came  only  a  little  desultory  applause 
here  and  there  from  the  corners. 

Pelle  felt  the  disappointment  and  indifference,  and 
smiled.  He  no  longer  had  need  of  storms  of  approbation  ; 
he  listened  for  it  now  within  himself.  This  much  he  had 
learnt  by  standing  up  there,  namely,  that  he  had  not  done 
with  the  men  below,  he  was  in  fact  only  just  beginning 
with  them.  His  work  had  been  swept  away  :  well  then 
he  would  build  up  a  new  one  that  was  better.  He  had  sat 
in  his  prison-cell  and  learnt  long-suffering. 


38  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

He  took  a  seat  below  the  platform  among  the  leaders 
of  the  meeting,  and  felt  that  he  was  really  a  stranger  there. 
It  was  out  of  compassion  they  had  drawn  him  into  the 
meeting  ;  he  read  in  their  eyes  that  the  work  that  had  been 
done  was  done  without  him,  and  that  he  came  at  an  inop- 
portune moment.  Would  they  have  to  reckon  with  him, 
the  hare-brained  fellow,  now  again,  or  did  he  mean  to 
emigrate  ?  Alas,  he  did  not  give  much  impetus  to  the 
movement  !  but  if  they  only  knew  how  much  wisdom  he 
had  gained  in  his  solitude  ! 

He  did  not  talk,  but  looked  on  absently,  trying  to  listen 
through  the  noise  for  something  lasting.  They  laughed 
and  drank  and  made  speeches — for  him  too ;  but  all  this 
was  so  unnecessary  !  They  had  gained  confidence,  they 
spoke  quite  openly,  there  was  a  certain  emancipation  in  their 
general  behaviour ;  taken  as  a  whole  they  made  a  good 
impression.  But  the  miracle  ?  the  incomprehensible  ?  He 
missed  a  little  anxiety  behind  the  prosperity,  the  deep, 
silent  pondering  that  would  show  that  they  had  gazed  into 
a  new  world.  Did  they  not  hear  the  undertone  at  all, 
since  they  were  making  such  a  noise — the  unceasing,  soft 
rhythm  that  was  in  his  own  ears  continually  and  contained 
the  whole  thing.  The  stillness  of  the  cell  had  made  his 
hearing  acute  ;  the  boisterous  laughter,  which  expressed 
their  pleasure  in  life,  caused  him  suffering. 

Beside  a  large  blackboard  on  the  platform  stood  one  of 
the  leaders,  writing  up  the  victories  of  the  day,  amid  the 
rejoicing  of  the  crowd.  Pelle  slipped  out  unnoticed,  and 
was  standing  on  the  steps,  breathing  in  the  quiet  night  air, 
when  a  young  man  came  up  to  him  and  held  out  his  hand. 
It  was  his  brother-in-law,  Frederik  Stolpe.  "  I  just  wanted 
to  wish  you  welcome  back,"  he  said,  "  and  to  thank  you 
for  what  you  said  in  there." 

"  How  is  Ellen  ?  "  Pelle  asked  in  a  low  voice. 


DAYBREAK  39 

"  She's  only  pretty  well.  She  lives  at  20,  Victoria 
Street,  and  takes  in  washing.  I  think  she  would  be  glad 
to  see  you."  He  looked  searchingly  at  Pelle.  "  If  you 
like,  I  can  easily  arrange  for  you  to  meet  at  my  place." 

"  Thank  you  !  "  Pelle  answered,  "  but  I'll  go  out  to  her 
early  to-morrow  morning."  He  no  longer  needed  to  go  by 
circuitous  routes. 


II 

PELLE  was  awakened  by  a  distant  sound  resembling  thunder, 
that  came  nearer  and  nearer  out  of  the  night  and  kept 
close  to  the  prison.  He  lay  still  and  listened  shudder- 
ingly  in  the  hope  of  hearing  the  reassuring  step  of  the 
watchman  passing  his  door,  while  fancies  chased  one 
another  in  his  heavy  head  like  riderless  horses.  The  hollow, 
threatening  sound  grew  ever  louder  and  clearer,  until  it 
suddenly  shattered  the  stillness  of  the  night  with  a 
thunderous  roar,  which  seemed  to  bring  everything  crash- 
ing down.  It  was  as  though  a  great  gulf  had  opened  and 
swallowed  everything. 

In  one  panic-stricken  bound  he  was  at  the  window,  his 
heart  beating  tumultuously  ;  but  the  next  moment  he  was 
ashamed  of  his  mistake.  It  had  been  the  same  terrifying 
Doomsday  that  he  had  dreaded  in  the  days  of  his  child- 
hood, when  the  lightning  zig-zagged  among  the  rocks  at 
home  ;  and  yet  it  was  nothing  but  the  noise  of  the  first 
farm-carts  as  they  passed  from  the  high-road  on  to  the 
stone  paving  of  the  town.  It  was  the  solitude  brooding 
in  his  imagination,  making  it  start  in  fear  at  every  sound. 
But  that  would  wear  off. 

He  stretched  himself  and  shook  off  the  nightmare. 
Free  !  No  gaoler  was  coming  like  a  bad  spirit  to  shatter 
the  night's  happy  dream  of  freedom.  He  was  free !  His 
pallet  had  not  to  be  hooked  up  to  the  wall  at  a  certain 
hour  ;  he  could  lie  as  long  as  he  wanted  to,  the  whole  day 
4o 


DAYBREAK  41 

if  he  liked.    But  now  he  had  more  important  things  to  do ; 
life  was  waiting.    He  hastily  put  on  his  clothes. 

In  the  street  the  lamplighter  was  lighting  every  other 
lamp.  An  endless  procession  of  carts  was  pouring  in  from 
the  country  to  supply  the  town.  Pelle  threw  open  the 
window  and  looked  out  over  the  wakening  city  while  he 
dressed  himself.  He  was  accustomed  to  sleep  in  a  silence 
that  was  only  broken  by  the  soft  squeaking  of  the  mice 
under  the  heat-grating  ;  and  the  night-noises  of  the  city — 
the  rumble  of  the  electric  trams,  the  shouts  of  night- 
wanderers — all  these  unwonted  sounds  that  pierced  the 
darkness  so  startlingly,  had  filled  his  sleep  with  feverish 
dreams  and  caused  a  series  of  ugly,  deformed  visions  to  pass 
through  his  brain. 

He  now  felt  quite  rested,  however,  and  greeted  the  city 
with  awakened  pleasure.  Yes,  he  had  slept  more  than 
sufficiently ;  the  noise  called  him  and  he  must  go  down 
and  give  a  helping  hand  to  keep  it  going.  For  years  he 
had  done  nothing  but  hoard ;  now  he  would  set  to  work 
again  with  strength  and  courage.  As  soon  as  he  was 
dressed  he  went  out.  It  was  too  early  to  visit  Ellen,  but 
he  could  not  bear  to  stay  in  any  longer.  It  was  early 
morning.  The  first  tram-car  came  in,  rilled  with  workmen, 
some  even  hanging  on  to  the  steps  both  of  the  motor- 
waggon  and  the  two  cars  following  it.  And  there  was  the 
first  peasant  with  milk  :  they  were  not  even  up  yet  in  the 
ice-dairy !  Every  quarter  of  an  hour  trams  came  in  with 
workmen,  and  the  market-carts  continued  to  drive  in 
from  the  country  laden  with  vegetables,  corn  or  pigs' 
carcases.  The  street  was  like  a  feeding-tube  through  which 
nourishment  was  continually  being  drawn  into  the  city. 

On  the  top  of  swaying  loads  of  straw  sat  Zealand 
peasants  nodding.  They  had  come  all  the  way  from  the 
Frederikssund  quarter,  and  had  been  driving  all  night. 


42  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Here  and  there  came  a  drover  with  a  few  animals  intended 
for  the  cattle-market.  The  animals  did  not  like  the  town 
and  constantly  became  restive,  hitching  themselves  round 
lamp-posts  or  getting  across  the  tram-lines.  The  news- 
paper-women trudged  from  street-door  to  street-door  with 
their  aprons  laden  with  morning  papers,  and  he  heard 
them  toiling  up  the  stairs  as  though  their  feet  were 
weighted  with  lead.  And  beneath  all  this  could  be  heard 
the  endless  tramp-tramp  of  workmen  hastening  to  their 
work. 

There  was  a  peculiarly  familiar  sound  in  those  footsteps, 
which  suddenly  reminded  him  that  he  no  longer  belonged 
to  their  party,  but  had  marked  out  his  own  way  for  good 
and  evil.  Why  was  he  not  still  a  small,  impersonal  fraction 
of  this  great  stream  which  day  after  day  mechanically 
followed  the  same  round  in  the  mill  ?  Solitude  had  made 
his  view  of  mankind  a  new  and  wondering  one  ;  he  now, 
in  every  strange  face  he  met,  involuntarily  sought  for  a 
little  of  that  which  makes  each  individual  a  world  in 
himself.  But  these  men  were  all  alike,  he  thought ;  they 
came  hurrying  out  of  the  darkness  of  the  side  streets,  and 
were  not  fully  awake  and  steady  on  their  feet  until  they 
joined  the  throng,  but  then  they  did  walk  capitally.  He 
recognised  the  firm  beat  again  :  he  had  himself  taught  it 
to  them. 

Daylight  came  stealing  in  over  Vesterbro,  grey  and 
heavy  with  spring  moisture  and  the  city  smoke.  That 
part  of  the  town  was  not  quite  awake  yet ;  the  step  sound- 
ing in  the  main  street  was  that  of  the  belated  night- 
wanderer.  He  turned  down  Victoria  Street,  looking  about 
him  in  surprise  ;  he  had  never  been  here  before.  He  read 
the  door-plates :  Artists'  Bureau,  Artisten  Heim,  Lodging 
for  Artists,  Masseur  &  Chiropodist,  Costumes  for  Hire. 
Most  of  the  announcements  were  in  foreign  languages. 


DAYBREAK  43 

There  was  also  a  Gymnasium  for  Equilibrists  and  a  Conser- 
vatorium  for  Singing  and  Music,  Dancing  and  Deportment. 
Nor  did  there  seem  to  be  a  scarcity  of  pawnbrokers  and 
dealers  in  second-hand  goods.  How  had  Ellen  drifted  into 
this  strange  atmosphere  of  perfumes  and  old  clothes  and 
foreign  countries  ?  Behind  the  windows  in  the  low  rooms 
he  saw  wonderful  dresses  thrown  over  chair-backs — 
burnouses  and  red  fezes  ;  and  a  little  dark  figure  with  a 
long  pigtail  and  bare  feet  in  yellow  slippers,  glided  noise- 
lessly past  him  in  the  old-fashioned,  palatial  doorway  of 
No.  20. 

He  mounted  the  stairs  with  a  beating  heart.  The  steps 
were  worn  and  groaned  ominously  when  trodden  on.  The 
door  of  the  flat  stood  ajar,  and  he  heard  the  sound  of  sweep- 
ing in  the  front  room,  while  farther  in  a  child  was  talking 
to  itself  or  its  doll.  He  had  to  stand  a  little  while  on  the 
landing  to  take  breath  and  to  regain  his  composure. 

Ellen  was  sweeping  under  the  sofa  with  quick  move- 
ments. She  rose  and  gazed  at  him  in  bewilderment ;  the 
broom  fell  from  her  hand  and  she  swayed  to  and  fro.  Pelle 
caught  her,  and  she  leaned  inert  and  helpless  against  him, 
and  remained  thus  for  a  considerable  time,  pale  and  with 
closed  eyes.  When  at  last  he  turned  her  inanimate  face 
towards  him  and  kissed  it,  she  burst  into  tears. 

He  spoke  gently  and  reassuringly  to  her  as  to  a  child. 
She  kept  her  eyes  closed,  as  she  had  always  done  when 
anything  overwhelmed  her.  She  lay  back  on  his  arm,  and 
he  felt  her  body  tremble  at  the  sound  of  his  voice.  Her 
tears  seemed  to  soften  her,  and  from  the  yielding  of  her 
body  now,  he  could  see  how  stiffly  she  must  have  held 
herself,  and  was  filled  with  joy.  It  had  all  been  for  his  sake, 
and  with  a  tremendous  effort  of  her  will  she  had  defied  fate 
until  he  came.  She  now  placed  it  all  at  his  feet  and  lay 
prostrate.  How  tired  she  must  be  !  But  now  she  and 


44  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

the  children  should  have  a  good  time ;  he  would  live  for 
her  now ! 

He  had  laid  her  on  the  sofa  and  sat  bending  over  her 
and  telling  her  quietly  how  he  had  repented  and  longed  for 
her.  She  made  no  answer,  but  held  his  hand  in  a  con- 
vulsive grasp,  now  and  then  opening  her  eyes  and  stealing 
a  glance  at  him.  Suddenly  she  discovered  how  worn  and 
lined  his  face  was,  and  as  she  passed  her  hand  over  it 
as  if  to  soften  the  features,  she  broke  into  a  storm  of 
weeping. 

"  You  have  suffered  so,  Pelle  !  "  she  exclaimed  vehe- 
mently, passing  her  trembling  fingers  through  his  iron-grey 
hair.  "  I  can  feel  by  your  poor  head  how  badly  they've 
treated  you.  And  I  wasn't  even  with  you  !  If  I  could 
only  do  something  really  nice  to  make  you  look  happy  !  " 

She  drew  his  head  down  on  to  her  bosom  and  stroked 
it  as  a  mother  might  her  child's,  and  Pelle's  face  changed 
as  would  a  child's  when  taken  to  its  mother's  breast.  It 
was  as  though  the  well  of  life  flowed  through  him,  the 
hardness  of  his  expression  disappeared,  and  life  and  warmth 
took  its  place.  "  I  didn't  think  you'd  come  back  to  us," 
said  Ellen.  "  Ever  since  Lasse  Fredrik  met  you  yesterday 
I've  been  expecting  you  to  come." 

Pelle  suddenly  noticed  how  exhausted  she  looked. 
"  Haven't  you  been  to  bed  all  night  ?  "  he  asked. 

She  smilingly  shook  her  head.  "  I  had  to  take  care 
that  the  street-door  wasn't  locked.  Whenever  any  one 
came  home  I  ran  down  and  unlocked  it  again.  You  mustn't 
be  angry  with  the  boy  for  being  afraid  of  you  just  at  first. 
He  was. sorry  for  it  afterwards,  and  ran  about  the  town  all 
the  evening  trying  to  find  you." 

A  clear  child's  voice  was  calling  from  the  bedroom  more 
and  more  persistently  :  "  Man  !  Good  morning,  man  !  " 

It  was  Sister,  sitting  up  in  Ellen's  bed  and  playing  with 


DAYBREAK  45 

a  feather  that  she  had  pulled  out  of  the  corner  of  the  down- 
quilt.  She  readily  allowed  herself  to  be  kissed,  and  sat 
there  with  pouting  mouth  and  the  funniest  little  wrinkled 
nose.  "  You're  man  !  "  she  said  insinuatingly. 

"  Yes,  that's  true  enough,"  answered  Pelle  laughing : 
"  but  what  man  ?  " 

"  Man  !  "  she  repeated,  nodding  gravely. 

Sister  shared  Ellen's  bed  now.  At  the  foot  of  the  big 
bed  stood  her  own  little  cot,  which  had  also  been  Lasse 

Fredrik's,  and  in  it  lay .  Well,  Pelle  turned  to  the 

other  side  of  the  room,  where  Lasse  Fredrik  lay  snoring  in 
a  small  bed,  with  one  arm  beneath  his  head.  He  had  kicked 
off  the  quilt,  and  lay  on  his  stomach  in  a  deep  sleep,  with 
his  limbs  extended  carelessly.  The  little  fellow  was  well 
built,  thought  Pelle. 

"  Now  lazy-bones,  you'd  better  be  thinking  of  getting 
up  !  "  cried  Pelle,  pulling  him  by  the  leg. 

The  boy  turned  slowly.  When  he  saw  his  father,  he 
instantly  became  wide  awake,  and  raised  his  arm  above 
his  head  as  though  to  ward  off  a  blow. 

"  There's  no  box  on  the  ears  in  the  air,  my  boy,"  said 
Pelle  laughing.  "  The  game  only  begins  to-day  !  " 

Lasse  Fredrik  continued  to  hold  his  arm  in  the  same 
position,  and  lay  gazing  indifferently  out  into  the  front 
room,  as  if  he  had  no  idea  to  what  his  father  was  referring  ; 
but  his  face  was  scarlet. 

"  Don't  you  even  say  good  morning  to  your  father  ?  " 
said  Ellen,  whereupon  he  sullenly  extended  his  hand  and 
then  turned  his  face  to  the  wall.  He  was  vexed  at  his 
behaviour  of  the  day  before,  and  perhaps  expected  a  blowing- 
up.  On  a  nail  above  his  head  hung  his  blouse  and  cap. 

"  Is  Lasse  Fredrik  a  milk-boy  ?  "  asked  Pelle. 

"  Yes,"  said  Ellen,  "  and  he's  very  good  at  it.  The 
drivers  praise  him." 


46  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Isn't  he  going  to  get  up  then,  and  go  ?  I've  met 
several  milk-carts." 

"  No,  for  we're  on  strike  just  now,"  murmured  the  boy 
without  turning  round. 

Pelle  became  quite  interested.  "  What  fellows  you  are  ! 
So  you're  on  strike,  are  you  ?  What's  it  for — is  it  wages  ?  " 

The  boy  had  to  explain,  and  gradually  turned  his  face 
round,  but  did  not  look  at  his  father. 

Ellen  stood  in  the  doorway  and  listened  to  them 
smilingly.  She  looked  frail.  "  Lasse  Fredrik's  the  leader," 
she  said  gently. 

"  And  he's  lying  here  instead  of  being  out  on  the  watch 
for  blacklegs  ?  "  exclaimed  Pelle  quite  irritably.  "  You're 
a  nice  leader  !  " 

"  Do  you  suppose  any  boy  would  be  so  mean  as  to  be 
a  blackleg  !  "  said  Lasse  Fredrik.  "  No,  indeed  !  But 
people  fetch  their  own  milk  from  the  carts." 

"  Then  you  must  get  the  drivers  to  join  you." 

"  No,  we  don't  belong  to  a  real  union,  so  they  won't 
support  us." 

"  Well  then,  make  a  union  !  Get  up,  boy,  and  don't 
lie  there  snoring  when  there's  anything  of  this  sort  on  ! 
Do  you  imagine  that  anything  in  this  world  is  to  be  got 
by  sleeping  ?  " 

The  boy  did  not  move.  He  did  not  seem  to  think  there 
was  any  reason  for  taking  his  father  very  seriously  ;  but 
he  met  a  reproachful  look  from  Ellen,  and  he  was  out  of 
bed  and  dressed  in  a  trice.  While  they  sat  in  the  front 
room,  drinking  their  coffee,  Pelle  gave  him  a  few  hints  as 
to  how  he  should  proceed  in  the  matter.  He  was  greatly 
interested,  and  went  thoroughly  into  the  subject  ;  it  seemed 
to  him  as  though  it  were  only  yesterday  that  he  had  occupied 
himself  with  the  people.  How  many  pleasant  memories 
of  the  fight  crowded  into  his  mind !  And  now  every  child 


DAYBREAK  47 

knew  that  the  meanest  thing  on  earth  was  to  become  a 
blackleg  !  How  he  had  fought  to  make  even  intelligent 
fellow-workmen  understand  this  !  It  was  quite  comical  to 
think  that  the  strike — which  filled  the  workmen  with  horror 
the  first  time  he  had  employed  it — was  now  a  thing  that 
children  made  use  of.  Time  passed  with  a  fleet  foot  out 
here  in  the  day  ;  and  if  you  wanted  to  keep  pace  you  must 
look  sharp  ! 

When  the  boy  had  gone,  Ellen  came  to  Pelle  and  stroked 
his  hair.  "  Welcome  home  !  "  she  said  softly,  and  kissed 
his  furrowed  brow. 

He  pressed  her  hand.  "  Thank  you  for  having  a  home 
for  me,"  he  answered,  looking  into  her  eyes  ;  "  for  if  you 
hadn't,  I  think  I  should  have  gone  to  the  dogs." 

"  The  boy  has  had  his  share  in  that,  you  know  !  He's 
worked  well,  or  it  might  have  gone  badly  with  me  many  a 
time.  You  mustn't  be  angry  with  him,  Pelle,  even  if  he 
is  a  little  sullen  to  you.  You  must  remember  how  much 
he's  gone  through  with  the  other  boys.  Sometimes  he's 
come  home  quite  disheartened." 

"  Because  of  me  ?  "  asked  Pelle  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Yes,  for  he  couldn't  bear  them  to  say  anything  about 
you.  At  one  time  he  was  always  fighting,  but  now  I 
think  he's  taught  them  to  leave  him  alone  ;  for  he  never 
gave  in.  But  it  may  have  left  its  marks  on  him." 

She  lingered  by  him  ;  there  was  something  she  wanted 
to  say  to  him,  but  she  had  a  difficulty  in  beginning.  "  What 
is  it  ?  "  he  asked,  in  order  to  help  her,  his  heart  beating 
rapidly.  He  would  have  liked  to  get  over  this  without 
speech. 

She  drew  him  gently  into  the  bedroom  and  up  to  the 
little  cot.  "  You  haven't  looked  at  Boy  Comfort,"  she 
said. 

He  bent  in  embarrassment  over  the  little  boy  who  lay 


48  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

and  gazed  at  him  with  large,  serious  eyes.  "  You  must  give 
me  a  little  time,"  he  said. 

"  It's  little  Marie's  boy,"  said  Ellen,  with  a  peculiar 
intonation. 

He  stood  up  quickly,  and  looked  in  bewilderment  at  her. 
It  was  a  little  while  before  he  comprehended. 

"  Where  is  Marie  ?  "  he  asked  with  difficulty. 

"  She's  dead,  Pelle,"  answered  Ellen,  and  came  to  his 
aid  by  holding  out  her  hand  to  him.  "  She  died  when  the 
child  was  born." 

A  grey  shadow  passed  across  Pelle's  face. 


Ill 

THE  house  in  which  Pelle  and  his  wife  lived — the  "  Palace  " 
the  inhabitants  of  the  street  called  it — was  an  old,  tumble- 
down, three-storeyed  building  with  a  mansard  roof.  Up 
the  middle  of  the  fagade  ran  the  remains  of  some  fluted 
pilasters  through  the  two  upper  storeys,  making  a  handsome 
frame  to  the  small  windows.  The  name  "  Palace  "  had 
not  been  given  to  the  house  entirely  without  reason  ;  the 
old  woman  who  kept  the  ironmonger's  shop  in  the  back 
building  could  remember  that  in  her  childhood  it  had  been 
a  general's  country-house,  and  stood  quite  by  itself.  At 
that  time  the  shore  reached  to  where  Isted  Street  now  runs, 
and  the  fruit -gardens  went  right  in  to  Council  House  Square. 
Two  ancient,  worm-eaten  apple-trees,  relics  of  that  period, 
were  still  standing  squeezed  in  among  the  back  buildings. 

Since  then  the  town  had  pushed  the  fruit-gardens  a 
couple  of  miles  farther  back,  and  in  the  course  of  time  side 
streets  had  been  added  to  the  bright  neighbourhood  of 
Vesterbro — narrow,  poor-men's  streets,  which  sprang  up 
round  the  scattered  country-houses,  and  shut  out  the  light ; 
and  poor  people,  artistes  and  street  girls  ousted  the  owners 
and  turned  the  luxuriant  summer  resort  into  a  motley 
district  where  booted  poverty  and  shoeless  intelligence  met. 

The  "  Palace  "  was  the  last  relic  of  a  vanished  age. 
The  remains  of  its  former  grandeur  were  still  to  be  seen 
in  the  smoke-blackened  stucco  and  deep  windows  of  the 
attics  ;  but  the  large  rooms  had  been  broken  up  into  sets 

VOL.  IV.  49  E 


50  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

of  one  or  two  looms  for  people  of  small  means,  half  the 
wide  landing  being  boarded  off  for  coal-cellars. 

From  Pelle's  little  two-roomed  flat,  a  door  and  a  couple 
of  steps  led  down  into  a  large  room  which  occupied  the 
entire  upper  floor  of  the  side  building,  and  was  not  unlike 
the  ruins  of  a  former  banqueting-hall.  The  heavy,  smoke- 
blackened  ceiling  went  right  up  under  the  span  roof  and 
had  once  been  decorated  ;  but  most  of  the  plaster  had  now 
fallen  down,  and  the  beams  threatened  to  follow  it. 

The  huge  room  had  been  utilised,  in  the  course  of  time, 
both  as  a  brewery  and  as  a  warehouse  ;  but  it  still  bore  the 
stamp  of  its  former  splendour.  The  children  of  the  property 
at  any  rate  thought  it  was  grand,  and  picked  out  the  last 
remains  of  panelling  for  kindling-wood,  and  would  sit 
calling  to  one  another  for  hours  from  the  high  ledges  above 
the  brick  pillars,  upon  which  there  had  once  stood  busts 
of  famous  men. 

Now  and  again  a  party  of  Russian  or  Polish  emigrants 
hired  the  room  and  took  possession  of  it  for  a  few  nights. 
They  slept  side  by  side  upon  the  bare  floor,  each  using  his 
bundle  for  a  pillow  ;  and  in  the  morning  they  would  knock 
at  the  door  of  Ellen's  room,  and  ask  by  gestures  to  be  allowed 
to  come  to  the  water-tap.  At  first  she  was  afraid  of  them 
and  barricaded  the  door  with  her  wardrobe  cupboard  ;  but 
the  thought  of  Pelle  in  prison  made  her  sympathetic  and 
helpful.  They  were  poor,  needy  beings,  whom  misery  and 
misfortune  had  driven  from  their  homes.  They  could  not 
speak  the  language  and  knew  nothing  about  the  world ; 
but  they  seemed,  like  birds  of  passage,  to  find  their  way 
by  instinct.  In  their  blind  flight  it  was  at  the  "  Palace  " 
that  they  happened  to  alight  for  rest. 

With  this  exception  the  great  room  lay  unused.  It 
went  up  through  two  storeys,  and  could  have  been  made 
into  several  small  flats  ;  but  the  owner  of  the  property — 


DAYBREAK  51 

an  old  peasant  from  Glostmp — was  so  miserly  that  he  could 
not  find  it  in  his  heart  to  spend  money  on  it,  notwith- 
standing the  great  advantage  it  would  be  to  him.  Ellen 
had  no  objection  to  this  !  She  dried  her  customers'  washing 
there,  and  escaped  all  the  coal-dust  and  dirt  of  the  yard. 

Chance,  which  so  often  takes  the  place  of  Providence  in 
the  case  of  poor  people,  had  landed  her  and  her  children 
here  when  things  had  gone  wrong  with  them  in  Chapel 
Road.  Ellen  had  at  last,  after  hard  toil,  got  her  boot- 
sewing  into  good  working  order  and  had  two  pupils  to  help 
her,  when  a  long  strike  came  and  spoiled  it  all  for  her.  She 
struggled  against  it  as  well  as  she  could,  but  one  day  they 
came  and  carried  her  bits  of  furniture  down  into  the  street. 
It  was  the  old  story  :  Pelle  had  heard  it  several  times 
before.  There  she  stood  with  the  children,  mounting  guard 
over  her  belongings  until  it  grew  dark.  It  was  pouring 
with  rain,  and  they  did  not  know  what  to  do.  People 
stopped  as  they  hurried  by,  asked  a  few  questions  and 
passed  on ;  one  or  two  advised  her  to  apply  to  the  com- 
mittee for  housing  the  homeless.  This,  however,  both 
Ellen  and  Lasse  Fredrik  were  too  proud  to  do.  They  took 
the  little  ones  down  to  the  mangling-woman  in  the  cellar, 
and  themselves  remained  on  guard  over  their  things,  in  the 
dull  hope  that  something  would  happen,  a  hope  of  which 
experience  never  quite  deprives  the  poor. 

After  they  had  stood  there  a  long  time  something  reallv 
did  happen.  Out  of  Norrebro  Street  came  two  men  dashing 
along  at  a  tremendous  pace  with  a  four-wheeled  cart  of  the 
kind  employed  by  the  poor  of  Copenhagen  when  they  move 
— preferably  by  night — from  one  place  to  another.  One  of 
the  men  was  at  the  pole  of  the  cart,  while  the  other  pushed 
behind  and,  when  the  pace  was  at  its  height,  flung  himself 
upon  his  stomach  on  the  cart,  putting  on  the  brake  with 
the  toes  of  his  boots  upon  the  road  so  as  to  twist  the  cart 


52  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

into  the  gutter.  Upon  the  empty  cart  sat  a  middle-aged 
woman,  singing,  with  her  feet  dangling  over  the  side  ;  she 
was  big  and  wore  an  enormous  hat  with  large  nodding 
flowers,  of  the  kind  designed  to  attract  the  male  sex.  The 
party  zig-zagged,  shouting  and  singing,  from  one  side  of 
the  street  to  the  other,  and  each  time  the  lady  shrieked. 

"  There's  a  removing  cart !  "  said  Lasse  Fredrik,  and 
as  he  spoke  the  vehicle  pulled  up  in  the  gutter  just  in  front 
of  them. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  Thorvald  ?  "  said  one  of  the 
men ;  then,  staring  straight  into  Ellen's  face,  "  Have  you 
hurt  your  eye  ?  " 

The  woman  had  jumped  down  from  the  cart.  "  Oh, 
get  out  of  the  way,  you  ass  !  "  she  said,  pushing  him  aside. 
"  Can't  you  see  they've  been  turned  out  ?  Is  it  your 
husband  that's  chucked  you  out  ?  "  she  asked,  bending 
sympathetically  over  Ellen. 

"  No,  the  landlord's  turned  us  out !  "  said  Lasse  Fredrik. 

"  What  a  funny  little  figure  !  And  you've  got  nowhere 
to  sleep  to-night  ?  Here,  Christian,  take  and  load  these 
things  on  the  cart,  and  then  they  can  stand  under  the 
gateway  at  home  for  the  night.  They'll  be  quite  spoilt 
by  the  rain  here." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Christian,  "  the  chair-legs  have 
actually  begun  to  take  root !  "  The  two  men  were  in  a 
boisterous  humour. 

"  Now  you  can  just  come  along  with  me,"  said  the 
woman  when  the  things  were  piled  upon  the  cart,  "  and 
I'll  find  you  a  place  to  sleep  in.  And  then  to-morrow 
Providence'll  perhaps  be  at  home  himself !  " 

"  She's  a  street-woman,"  whispered  Lasse  Fredrik  again 
and  again,  pulling  Ellen's  dress  ;  but  Ellen  did  not  care  now, 
if  only  she  could  avoid  having  to  accept  poor  relief.  She 
no  longer  held  her  head  so  high. 


DAYBREAK  53 

It  was  "  Queen  Theresa  "  herself  they  had  met,  and 
in  a  sense  this  meeting  had  made  their  fortune.  She  helped 
Ellen  to  find  her  little  flat,  and  got  her  washing  to  do  for 
the  girls  of  the  neighbourhood.  It  was  not  very  much, 
though  the  girls  of  Vesterbro  went  in  for  fine  clothes  as 
far  as  they  could ;  but  it  afforded  her  at  any  rate  a  liveli- 
hood. 

***** 

Pelle  did  not  like  Ellen  going  on  with  all  this  dirty  work  ; 
he  wanted  to  be  the  one  to  provide  for  the  family.  Ellen 
moreover  had  had  her  turn,  and  she  looked  tired  and  as  if 
she  needed  to  live  a  more  comfortable  life.  It  was  as  though 
she  fell  away  now  that  he  was  there  and  able  once  more  to 
assume  the  responsibility  ;  but  she  would  not  hear  of 
giving  up  the  washing.  "  It's  never  worth  while  to  throw 
away  the  dirty  water  until  you've  got  the  clean  !  "  she 
said. 

Every  morning  he  set  out  furnished  with  a  brand  new 
trades-union  book,  and  went  from  workshop  to  workshop. 
Times  were  bad  for  his  branch  of  trade  ;  many  of  his  old 
fellow-workmen  had  been  forced  to  take  up  other  occupa- 
tions— he  met  them  again  as  conductors,  lamplighters, 
etc. ;  machinery  had  made  them  unnecessary,  they  said. 
It  was  the  effect  of  the  great  lock-out ;  it  had  killed  the 
little  independent  businesses  that  had  formerly  worked 
with  one  or  two  men,  and  put  wind  into  the  sails  of  large 
industries.  The  few  who  could  manage  it  had  procured 
machines  and  become  manufacturers  ;  the  rest  were  crowded 
out  and  sat  in  out-of-the-way  basements  doing  repairs. 

To  set  to  work  again  on  the  old  conditions  was  what 
had  been  farthest  from  Pelle's  thoughts ;  and  he  now 
went  about  and  offered  to  become  an  apprentice  again  in 
order  to  serve  his  new  master,  the  machinery,  and  was 
ready  to  be  utilised  to  the  utmost.  But  the  manufacturers 


54  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

had  no  use  for  him  ;  they  still  remembered  him  too  well. 
"  You've  been  too  long  away  from  the  work,"  said  one  and 
another  of  them  meaningly. 

Well,  that  was  only  tit  for  tat ;  but  he  felt  bitterly  how 
even  his  past  rose  up  against  him.  He  had  fought  and 
sacrificed  everything  to  improve  the  conditions  in  his 
branch ;  and  the  machines  were  the  discouraging  answer 
that  the  development  gave  to  him  and  his  fellows. 

He  was  not  alone  in  his  vain  search  in  this  bright 
spring-time.  A  number  of  other  branches  had  had  the 
same  fate  as  his  own.  Every  new  day  that  dawned  brought 
him  into  a  stream  of  men  who  seemed  to  be  condemned  to 
wear  out  the  pavement  in  their  hopeless  search  for  work — 
people  who  had  been  pushed  out  by  the  machines  and  could 
not  get  in  again.  "  There  must  be  something  wrong  with 
them,"  Pelle  thought  while  he  stood  and  listened  to  always 
the  same  story  of  how  they  had  suddenly  been  dropped,  and 
saw  the  rest  of  the  train  steaming  away.  It  must  have  been 
their  own  fault  that  they  were  not  coupled  on  to  a  new  one  ; 
perhaps  they  were  lazy  or  drunkards.  But  after  a  time 
he  saw  good,  tried  men  standing  in  the  row,  and  offering 
their  powers  morning  after  morning  without  result ;  and 
he  began  to  realise  with  a  chill  fear  that  times  were 
changing. 

He  would  certainly  have  managed  to  make  both  ends 
meet  if  there  had  been  anything  to  be  got.  The  prices 
were  all  right ;  their  only  defect  was  that  they  were  not 
eatable.  Altogether  it  seemed  as  if  a  change  for  the  worse 
had  overtaken  the  artisan  ;  and  to  make  it  still  more 
serious  the  large  businesses  stood  in  the  way  of  his  estab- 
lishing himself  and  becoming  independent.  There  was  not 
even  a  back  door  left  open  now  !  Pelle  might  just  as  well 
put  that  out  of  his  head  first  as  last ;  to  become  a  master 
now  required  capital  and  credit.  The  best  thing  that  the 


DAYBREAK  55 

future  held  was  an  endless  and  aimless  tramp  to  and  from 
the  factory. 

At  one  stroke  he  was  planted  in  the  middle  of  the  old 
question  again ;  all  the  circumstances  passed  before  him, 
and  it  was  useless  to  close  his  eyes.  He  was  willing  enough 
to  mind  his  own  affairs  and  did  not  seek  for  anything  ;  but 
the  one  thing  was  a  consequence  of  the  other,  and  whether 
he  wished  it  or  not,  it  united  in  a  general  view  of  the 
conditions. 

The  union  had  stood  the  test  outwardly.  The  workmen 
were  well  organised  and  had  vindicated  their  right  to 
negotiate  ;  their  corporations  could  no  longer  be  disre- 
garded. Wages  were  also  to  some  extent  higher,  and  the 
feeling  for  the  home  had  grown  in  the  workmen  themselves, 
many  of  them  having  removed  from  their  basements  into 
new  two  or  three  roomed  flats,  and  bought  good  furniture. 
They  demanded  more  from  life,  but  everything  had  become 
dearer,  and  they  still  lived  from  hand  to  mouth.  He  could 
see  that  the  social  development  had  not  kept  pace  with  the 
mechanical ;  the  machines  wedged  themselves  quietly 
but  inexorably  in  between  the  workmen  and  the  work,  and 
threw  more  and  more  men  out  of  employment.  The  hours 
of  labour  were  not  greatly  shortened.  Society  did  not 
seem  to  care  to  protect  the  workers,  but  it  interested  itself 
more  in  disabled  workmen  than  before,  and  provision  for 
the  poor  was  well  organised.  Pelle  could  not  discover  any 
law  that  had  a  regulating  effect,  but  found  a  whole  number 
of  laws  that  plastered  up  the  existing  conditions.  A  great 
deal  of  help  was  given,  always  just  on  the  borders  of 
starvation  ;  and  more  and  more  men  had  to  apply  for  it. 
It  did  not  rob  them  of  their  rights  as  citizens,  but  made 
them  a  kind  of  politically  kept  proletariat. 

It  was  thus  that  the  world  of  adventure  which  Pelle  had 
helped  to  conquer  appeared  now  when  he  returned  and 


56  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

looked  at  it  with  new  eyes.  The  world  had  not  been 
created  anew,  and  the  movement  did  not  seem  to  have 
produced  anything  strong  and  humanly  supporting.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  workmen  would  quietly  allow  themselves 
to  be  left  out  of  the  game,  if  only  they  received  money  for 
doing  nothing  !  What  had  become  of  their  former  pride  ? 
They  must  have  acquired  the  morals  of  citizens,  since  they 
willingly  agreed  to  accept  a  pension  for  rights  surrendered. 
They  were  not  deficient  in  power  ;  they  could  make  the 
whole  world  wither  and  die  without  shedding  a  drop  of 
blood,  only  by  holding  together.  It  was  a  sense  of  responsi- 
bility that  they  lacked  ;  they  had  lost  the  fundamental 
idea  of  the  movement. 

Pelle  looked  at  the  question  from  all  sides  while  he 
trudged  up  and  down  in  his  vain  search.  The  prospect 
obtruded  itself  upon  him,  and  there  were  forces  at  work, 
both  within  and  without,  trying  to  push  him  into  the  move- 
ment and  into  the  front  rank  among  the  leaders,  but  he 
repelled  the  idea  :  he  was  going  to  work  for  his  home 
now. 

He  managed  to  obtain  some  repairs  for  the  neighbours, 
and  also  helped  Ellen  to  hang  up  clothes  and  turn  the 
mangle.  One  must  pocket  one's  pride  and  be  glad  she 
had  something.  She  was  glad  of  his  help,  but  did  not  want 
any  one  to  see  him  doing  this  woman's  work. 

"  It's  not  work  for  a  man,"  she  said,  looking  at  him 
with  eyes  which  said  how  pleased  she  was  to  have  his 
company. 

They  liked  being  together,  enjoyed  it  in  their  own  quiet 
way  without  many  words.  Much  had  happened,  but 
neither  Pelle  nor  Ellen  were  in  a  hurry.  Neither  of  them 
had  a  facility  in  speaking,  but  they  found  their  way  to  an 
understanding  through  the  pauses,  and  drew  nearer  to  one 
another  in  the  silences.  Each  knew  what  the  other  had 


DAYBREAK  57 

suffered  without  requiring  to  have  it  told  :  time  had  been 
at  work  on  them  both. 

There  was  no  storm  in  their  new  companionship.  The 
days  passed  quietly,  made  sad  by  the  years  that  had  gone 
by.  In  Ellen's  mind  was  neither  jubilation  nor  reproach. 
She  was  cautious  with  regard  to  him — almost  as  shy  as 
the  first  time  they  met ;  behind  all  her  goodness  and  care 
lay  the  same  touch  of  maidenly  reserve  as  at  that  time. 
She  received  his  caresses  silently,  she  herself  giving  chiefly 
by  being  something  for  him.  He  noticed  how  every  little 
homely  action  she  did  for  him  grew  out  of  her  like  a 
motherly  caress  and  took  him  into  her  heart.  He  was 
grateful  for  it,  but  it  was  not  that  of  which  he  stood  most 
in  need. 

When  they  sat  together  in  the  twilight  and  the  children 
played  upon  the  floor,  she  was  generally  silent,  stealing 
glances  at  him  now  and  then  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  noticed 
these,  the  depth  of  her  expression  vanished.  Was  she 
again  searching  for  his  inner  being  as  she  had  done  in  their 
earliest  time  together  ?  It  was  as  though  she  were  calling 
to  something  within  him,  but  would  not  reveal  herself.  It 
was  thus  that  a  mother  might  sit  and  gaze  searchingly  into 
her  child's  future.  Did  she  not  love  him  then  ?  She  had 
given  him  all  that  she  possessed,  borne  him  children,  and 
had  faithfully  waited  for  him  when  all  the  rest  of  the  world 
had  cast  him  off ;  and  yet  he  was  not  sure  that  she  had 
ever  loved  him. 

Pelle  had  never  met  with  love  in  the  form  of  something 
unmanageable ;  the  Movement  had  absorbed  the  surplus 
of  his  youth.  But  now  he  had  been  born  anew  together 
with  the  spring,  and  felt  it  suddenly  as  an  inward  power. 
He  and  Ellen  would  begin  now,  for  now  she  was  every- 
thing !  Life  had  taught  him  seriousness,  and  it  was  well. 
He  was  horrified  at  the  thoughtless  way  in  which  he  had 


58  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

taken  Ellen  and  made  her  a  mother  without  first  making 
her  a  bride.  Her  woman's  heart  must  be  immeasurably 
large  since  she  had  not  gone  to  pieces  in  consequence,  but 
still  stood  as  unmoved  as  ever,  waiting  for  him  to  win  her. 
She  had  got  through  it  by  being  a  mother. 

Would  he  ever  win  her  ?  Was  she  really  waiting  still, 
or  was  she  contented  with  things  as  they  were  ? 

His  love  for  her  was  so  strong  that  everything  about  her 
was  transfigured,  and  he  was  happy  in  the  knowledge  that 
she  was  his  fate.  Merely  a  ribbon  or  a  worn  check  cotton 
apron — any  little  thing  that  belonged  to  her — acquired  a 
wonderfully  warm  hue,  and  filled  his  mind  with  sweetness. 
A  glance  or  a  touch  made  him  dizzy  with  happiness,  and 
his  heart  went  out  to  her  in  waves  of  ardent  longing.  It 
awoke  no  response  ;  she  smiled  gently  and  pressed  his  hand. 
She  was  fond  of  him  and  refused  him  nothing,  but  he  never- 
theless felt  that  she  kept  her  innermost  self  hidden  from 
him.  When  he  tried  to  see  in,  he  found  it  closed  by  a 
barrier  of  kindness. 


IV 

PELLE  was  like  a  man  returning  home  after  years  of  exile, 
and  trying  to  bring  himself  into  personal  relations  with 
everything  ;  the  act  of  oblivion  was  in  force  only  up  to 
the  threshold  ;  the  real  thing  he  had  to  see  to  himself. 
The  land  he  had  tilled  was  in  other  hands,  he  no  longer  had 
any  right  to  it ;  but  it  was  he  who  had  planted,  and  he 
must  know  how  it  had  been  tended  and  how  it  had  thriven. 

The  great  advance  had  taken  on  a  political  character. 
The  Movement  had  in  the  meantime  let  the  demand  of  the 
poorest  of  the  people  for  bread  drop,  and  thrown  them 
over  as  one  would  throw  over  ballast  in  order  to  rise  more 
quickly.  The  institutions  themselves  would  be  won,  and 
then  they  would  of  course  come  back  to  the  starting-point 
and  begin  again  quite  differently.  It  might  be  rather 
convenient  to  turn  out  those  who  most  hindered  the 
advance,  but  would  it  lead  to  victory  ?  It  was  upon  them 
indeed  that  everything  turned !  Pelle  had  thoroughly 
learned  the  lesson  that  he  who  thinks  he  will  outwit  others 
is  outwitted  himself.  He  had  no  faith  in  those  who  would 
climb  the  fence  where  it  was  lowest. 

The  new  tactics  dated  from  the  victorious  result  of  the 
great  conflict.  He  had  himself  led  the  crowds  in  triumph 
through  the  capital,  and  if  he  had  not  been  taken  he  would 
probably  now  be  sitting  in  parliament  as  one  of  the  labour 
members  and  symbolising  his  promotion  to  citizenship. 
But  now  he  was  out  of  it  all,  and  had  to  choose  his  attitude 
59 


60  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

towards  the  existing  state  of  things ;  he  had  belonged  to 
the  world  of  outcasts  and  had  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
irreconcilable.  He  was  not  sure  that  the  poor  man  was 
to  be  raised  by  an  extension  of  the  existing  social  ethics. 
He  himself  was  still  an  outlaw,  and  would  probably  never 
be  anything  else.  It  was  hard  to  stoop  to  enter  the  door- 
way through  which  you  had  once  been  thrown  out,  and  it 
was  hard  too  to  get  in.  He  did  not  intend  to  take  any  steps 
towards  gaining  admission  to  the  company  of  respectable 
men  ;  he  was  strong  enough  to  stand  alone  now. 

Perhaps  Ellen  expected  something  in  that  way  as 
reparation  for  all  the  wrong  she  had  suffered.  She  must 
have  patience  !  Pelle  had  promised  himself  that  he  would 
make  her  and  the  children  happy,  and  he  persuaded  himself 
that  this  would  be  best  attained  by  following  his  own 
impulses. 

He  was  not  exactly  happy.  Pecuniarily  things  were  in 
a  bad  way,  and  notwithstanding  all  his  planning,  the  future 
continued  to  look  uncertain.  He  needed  to  be  the  man, 
the  breadwinner,  so  that  Ellen  could  come  to  him  for 
safety  and  shelter,  take  her  food  with  an  untroubled  mind 
from  his  hand,  and  yield  herself  to  him  unresistingly. 

He  was  not  their  god  ;  that  was  where  the  defect  lay. 
This  was  noticeable  at  any  rate  in  Lasse  Fredrik.  There  was 
good  stuff  in  the  boy,  although  it  had  a  tang  of  the  street. 
He  was  an  energetic  fellow,  bright  and  pushing,  keenly  alert 
with  regard  to  everything  in  the  way  of  business.  Pelle 
saw  in  him  the  image  of  himself,  and  was  only  proud  of 
him  ;  but  the  boy  did  not  look  upon  him  with  uncon- 
ditional reliance  in  return.  He  was  quick  and  willing, 
but  nothing  more  ;  his  attitude  was  one  of  trial,  as  if  he 
wanted  to  see  how  things  would  turn  out  before  he  recognised 
the  paternal  relationship. 

Pelle  suffered  under  this  impalpable  distrust,  which 


DAYBREAK  61 

classed  him  with  the  "  new  fathers  "  of  certain  children  ; 
and  he  had  a  feeling  that  was  at  the  same  time  painful 
and  ridiculous,  that  he  was  on  trial.  In  olden  days  the 
matter  might  have  been  settled  by  a  good  thrashing,  but 
now  things  had  to  be  arranged  so  that  they  would  be 
lasting  ;  he  could  no  longer  buy  cheaply.  When  helping 
Lasse  Fredrik  in  organising  the  milk-boys,  he  pocketed  his 
pride  and  introduced  features  from  the  great  conflict  in 
order  to  show  that  he  was  good  for  something  too.  He 
could  see  from  the  boy's  expression  that  he  did  not  believe 
much  of  it,  and  intended  to  investigate  the  matter  more 
closely.  It  wounded  his  sensitive  mind  and  drove  him 
into  himself. 

One  day,  however,  when  he  was  sitting  at  his  work, 
Lasse  Fredrik  rushed  in.  "  Father,  tell  me  what  you  did 
to  get  the  men  that  were  locked  into  the  factory  out  1  " 
he  cried  breathlessly. 

"  You  wouldn't  believe  it  if  I  did,"  said  Pelle  reproach- 
fully. 

"  Yes,  I  would  ;  for  they  called  you  the  '  Lightning ! '  "; 
exclaimed  the  boy  in  tones  of  admiration.  "  And  they 
had  to  put  you  in  prison  so  as  to  get  rid  of  you.  The 
milk-driver  told  me  all  about  it !  " 

From  that  day  they  were  friends.  At  one  stroke  Pelle 
had  become  the  hero  of  the  boy's  existence.  He  had  shaved 
off  his  beard,  had  blackened  his  face,  and  had  gone  right 
into  the  camp  of  his  opponents,  and  nothing  could  have  been 
finer.  He  positively  had  to  defend  himself  from  being 
turned  into  a  regular  robber-captain  with  a  wide-awake  hat 
and  top-boots  !  Lasse  Fredrik  had  a  lively  imagination  ! 

Pelle  had  needed  this  victory.  He  must  have  his  own 
people  safely  at  his  back  first  of  all,  and  then  have  a 
thorough  settlement  of  the  past.  But  this  was  not  easy, 
for  little  Boy  Comfort  staggered  about  everywhere,  warped 


62  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

himself  towards  him  from  one  piece  of  furniture  to  another 
with  his  serious  eyes  fixed  steadily  upon  him,  and  crawled 
the  last  part  of  the  way.  Whenever  he  was  set  down,  he 
instantly  steered  for  Pelle  ;  he  would  come  crawling  in 
right  from  the  kitchen,  and  would  not  stop  until  he  stood 
on  his  feet  by  Pelle's  leg,  looking  up  at  him.  "  See  how 
fond  he  is  of  you  already  !  "  said  Ellen  tenderly,  as  she 
put  him  down  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  to  try  him.  "  Take 
him  up  !  "  Pelle  obeyed  mechanically  ;  he  had  no  personal 
feeling  for  this  child ;  it  was  indeed  no  child,  but  the 
accusation  of  a  grown-up  person  that  came  crawling  towards 
him.  And  there  stood  Ellen  with  as  tender  an  expression 
as  if  it  were  her  own  baby  !  Pelle  could  not  understand 
how  it  was  that  she  did  not  despise  him  ;  he  was  ashamed 
whenever  he  thought  of  his  struggle  to  reconcile  himself  to 
this  "  little  cuckoo."  It  was  a  good  thing  he  had  said  so 
little  ! 

His  inability  to  be  as  naturally  kind  to  the  child  as  she 
was  tormented  him  ;  and  when,  on  Saturday  evening,  she 
had  bathed  Boy  Comfort  and  then  sat  with  him  on  her  lap, 
putting  on  his  clean  clothes,  Pelle  was  overwhelmed  with 
self -accusation.  He  had  thoughtlessly  trodden  little  Marie 
of  the  "  Ark  "  underfoot,  and  she  whom  he  had  cast  off 
when  she  most  needed  him,  in  return  passed  her  beneficent 
hand  over  his  wrong-doing.  As  though  she  were  aware 
of  his  gloomy  thoughts,  she  went  to  him  and  placed  the 
warm,  naked  child  in  his  arms,  saying  with  a  gentle  smile  : 
"  Isn't  he  a  darling  ?  "  Her  heart  was  so  large  that  he  was 
almost  afraid ;  she  really  took  more  interest  in  this  child 
than  in  her  own. 

"  I'm  his  mother,  of  course ! "  she  said  naturally. 
"  You  don't  suppose  he  can  do  without  a  real  mother,  do 
you  ?  " 

Marie's  fate  lay  like  a  shadow  over  Pelle's  mind.    He  had 


DAYBREAK  63 

to  talk  to  Ellen  about  it  in  order  to  try  to  dispel  it,  but  she 
did  not  see  the  fateful  connection  ;  she  looked  upon  it 
as  something  that  had  to  be.  "  You  were  so  hunted  and 
persecuted,"  she  said  quietly,  "  and  you  had  no  one  to  look 
to.  So  it  had  to  happen  like  that.  Marie  told  me  all 
about  it.  It  was  no  one's  fault  that  she  was  not  strong 
enough  to  bear  children.  The  doctor  said  there  was  a 
defect  in  her  frame ;  she  had  an  internal  deformity." 
Alas  !  Ellen  did  not  know  how  much  a  human  being  should 
be  able  to  help,  and  she  herself  took  much  more  upon  her 
than  she  need. 

There  was  nevertheless  something  soothing  in  these 
sober  facts,  although  they  told  him  nothing  about  the  real 
thing.  It  is  impossible  to  bear  for  long  the  burden  of  the 
irreparable,  and  Pelle  was  glad  that  Ellen  dwelt  so  con- 
stantly and  naturally  on  Marie's  fate  ;  it  brought  it  within 
the  range  of  ordinary  things  for  him  too.  Marie  had  come 
to  her  when  she  could  no  longer  hide  her  condition,  and 
Ellen  had  taken  her  in  and  kept  her  until  she  went  to  the 
lying-in  hospital.  Marie  knew  quite  well  that  she  was  going 
to  die — she  could  feel  it  as  it  were — and  would  sit  and  talk 
about  it  while  she  helped  Ellen  with  her  boot -sewing.  She 
arranged  everything  as  sensibly  as  an  experienced  mother. 

"  How  old-fashioned  she  was,  and  yet  so  childlike !  " 
Ellen  would  exclaim  with  emotion. 

Pelle  could  not  help  thinking  of  his  life  in  the  "  Ark  " 
when  little  Marie  kept  house  for  him  and  her  two  brothers — 
a  careful  housekeeper  of  eleven  years  !  She  was  deformed 
and  yet  had  abundant  possibilities  within  her ;  she  resembled 
poverty  itself.  Infected  by  his  young  strength,  she  had 
shot  up  and  unfolded  into  a  fair  maiden,  at  whom  the  young 
dandies  turned  to  look  when  she  went  along  the  street  to 
make  her  purchases.  He  had  been  anxious  about  her, 
alone  and  unprotected  as  she  was  ;  and  yet  it  was  he  himself 


64  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

who  had  become  the  plunderer  of  the  poor,  defenceless  girl. 
Why  had  he  not  carried  his  cross  alone,  instead  of  accepting 
the  love  of  a  being  who  gave  herself  to  him  in  gratitude  for 
his  gift  to  her  of  the  joy  of  life  ?  Why  had  he  been  obliged, 
in  a  difficult  moment,  to  take  his  gift  back  ?  Boy  Comfort 
she  had  called  her  boy  in  her  innocent  goodness  of  heart, 
in  order  that  Pelle  should  be  really  fond  of  him  ;  but  it  was 
a  dearly-bought  Comfort  that  cost  the  life  of  another  ! 
For  Pelle  the  child  was  almost  an  accusation. 

There  was  much  to  settle  up  and  some  things  that  could 
not  be  arranged  !  Pelle  sometimes  found  it  burdensome 
enough  to  be  responsible  for  himself. 

About  this  time  Morten  was  often  in  his  thoughts. 
"  Morten  has  disappointed  me  at  any  rate,"  he  thought ; 
"  he  could  not  bear  my  prosperity !  "  This  was  a  point 
on  which  Pelle  had  right  upon  his  side !  Morten  must 
come  to  him  if  they  were  to  have  anything  more  to  do  with 
one  another.  Pelle  bore  no  malice,  but  it  was  reasonable 
and  just  that  the  one  who  was  on  the  top  should  first  hold 
out  his  hand. 

In  this  way  he  thought  he  had  obtained  rest  from  that 
question  in  any  case,  but  it  returned.  He  had  taken  the 
responsibility  upon  himself  now,  and  was  going  to  begin  by 
sacrificing  his  only  friend  on  a  question  of  etiquette  !  He 
would  have  to  go  to  him  and  hold  out  a  hand  of  reconcilia- 
tion ! 

This  at  last  seemed  to  be  a  noble  thought ! 

But  Pelle  was  not  allowed  to  feel  satisfied  with  himself 
in  this  either.  He  was  a  prey  to  the  same  tormenting 
unrest  that  he  had  suffered  in  his  cell,  when  he  stole  away 
from  his  work  and  sat  reading  secretly — he  felt  as  if  there 
were  always  an  eye  at  the  peephole,  which  saw  everything 
that  he  did.  He  would  have  to  go  into  the  question  once 
more. 


DAYBREAK  65 

That  unselfish  Morten  envious  ?  It  was  true  he  had 
not  celebrated  Pelle's  victory  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets, 
but  had  preferred  to  be  his  conscience  !  That  was  really 
at  the  bottom  of  it.  He  had  intoxicated  himself  in  the 
noise,  and  wanted  to  find  something  with  which  to  drown 
Morten's  quiet  warning  voice,  and  the  accusation  was  not 
far  to  seek — envy  !  It  was  he  himself,  in  fact,  who  had 
been  the  one  to  disappoint. 

One  day  he  hunted  him  up.  Morten's  dwelling  was  not 
difficult  to  find  out ;  he  had  acquired  a  name  as  an  author, 
and  was  often  mentioned  in  the  papers  in  connection  with 
the  lower  classes.  He  lived  on  the  South  Boulevard,  up 
in  an  attic  as  usual,  with  a  view  over  Kalvebod  Strand  and 
Amager. 

"  Why,  is  that  you  ?  "  he  said,  taking  Pelle's  hands  in 
his,  and  gazing  into  his  stern,  furrowed  face  until  the  tears 
filled  his  eyes.  "  I  say,  how  you  have  changed !  "  he 
whispered  half  fearfully,  and  led  him  into  his  room. 

"  I  suppose  I  have,"  Pelle  answered  gloomily.  "  I've 
had  good  reason  to  anyhow.  And  how  have  you  been  ? 
Are  you  married  ?  " 

"  No,  I'm  as  solitary  as  ever.  The  one  I  want  still 
doesn't  care  about  me,  and  the  others  /  don't  want.  I 
thought  you'd  thrown  me  over  too,  but  you've  come 
after  all." 

"  I  had  too  much  prosperity,  and  that  makes  you  self- 
important." 

"  Oh  well,  it  does.  But  in  prison — why  did  you  send 
my  letters  back  ?  It  was  almost  too  hard." 

Pelle  looked  up  in  astonishment.  "  It  would  never 
have  occurred  to  the  prisoner  that  he  could  hurt  anybody, 
so  you  do  me  an  injustice  there,"  he  said.  "  It  was  myself 
I  wanted  to  punish  !  " 

"  You've  been  ill  then,  Pelle  !  " 

VOL.    IV.  F 


66  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Yes,  ill  I  You  should  only  know  what  one  gets  like 
when  they  stifle  your  right  to  be  a  human  being  and  shut 
you  in  between  four  bare  walls.  At  one  time  I  hated 
blindly  the  whole  world ;  my  brain  reeled  with  trying  to 
find  out  a  really  crushing  revenge,  and  when  I  couldn't 
hit  others  I  helped  to  carry  out  the  punishment  upon 
myself.  There  was  always  a  satisfaction  in  feeling  that 
the  more  7  suffered,  the  greater  devils  did  it  make  the 
others  appear.  And  I  really  did  get  a  hit  at  them  ;  they 
hated  with  all  their  hearts  having  to  give  me  a  transfer." 

"  Wasn't  there  any  one  there  who  could  speak  a  com- 
forting word — the  chaplain,  the  teachers  ?  " 

Pelle  smiled  a  bitter  smile.  "  Oh  yes,  the  lash  !  " 
The  gaoler  couldn't  keep  me  under  discipline  ;  I  was  what 
they  call  a  difficult  prisoner.  It  wasn't  that  I  didn't  want 
to,  but  I  had  quite  lost  my  balance.  You  might  just  as 
well  expect  a  man  to  walk  steadily  when  everything  is 
whirling  round  him.  They  saw,  I  suppose,  that  I  couldn't 
come  right  by  myself,  so  one  day  they  tied  me  to  a  post, 
pulled  my  shirt  up  over  my  head  and  gave  me  a  thrashing, 
It  sounds  strange,  but  that  did  it ;  the  manner  of  procedure 
was  so  brutal  that  everything  in  me  was  struck  dumb. 
When  such  a  thing  as  that  could  happen,  there  was  nothing 
more  to  protest  against.  They  put  a  wet  sheet  round  me 
and  I  was  lifted  on  to  my  pallet,  so  that  was  all  right. 
For  a  week  I  had  to  lie  on  my  face  and  couldn't  move  for 
the  pain  ;  the  slightest  movement  made  me  growl  like  an 
animal.  The  strokes  had  gone  right  through  me  and  could 
be  counted  on  my  chest ;  and  there  I  lay  like  a  lump  of 
lead,  struck  down  to  the  earth  in  open-mouthed  astonish- 
ment. '  This  is  what  they  do  to  human  beings  !  '  I  groaned 
inwardly  ;  "  this  is  what  they  do  to  human  beings  !  '  I 
could  no  longer  comprehend  anything." 

Pelle's  face  had  become  ashen  grey  ;  all  the  blood  had 


DAYBREAK  67 

left  it,  and  the  bones  stood  out  sharply  as  in  a  dead  face. 
He  gulped  two  or  three  times  to  obtain  control  over  his  voice. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  understand  what  it  means  to  get  a 
thrashing ! "  he  said  hoarsely.  "  Fire's  nothing ;  I'd 
rather  be  burnt  alive  than  have  it  again.  The  fellow  doesn't 
beat ;  he's  not  the  least  angry  ;  nobody's  angry  with  you  ; 
they're  all  so  seriously  grieved  on  your  account.  He  places 
the  strokes  carefully  down  over  your  back  as  if  he  were 
weighing  out  food,  almost  as  if  he  were  fondling  you.  But 
your  lungs  gasp  at  each  stroke  and  your  heart  beats  wildly  ; 
it's  as  if  a  thousand  pincers  were  tearing  all  your  fibres  and 
nerves  apart  at  once.  My  very  entrails  contracted  in 
terror,  and  seemed  ready  to  escape  through  my  throat  every 
time  the  lash  fell.  My  lungs  still  burn  when  I  think  of  it, 
and  my  heart  will  suddenly  contract  as  if  it  would  send 
the  blood  out  through  my  throat.  Do  you  know  what  the 
devilish  part  of  corporal  punishment  is  ?  It's  not  the  bodily 
pain  that  they  inflict  upon  the  culprit ;  it's  his  inner  man 
they  thrash — his  soul.  While  I  lay  there  brooding  over  my 
mutilated  spirit,  left  to  lick  my  wounds  like  a  wounded 
animal,  I  realised  that  I  had  been  in  an  encounter  with  the 
evil  conscience  of  Society,  the  victim  of  their  hatred  of 
those  who  suffer." 

"  Do  you  remember  what  gave  occasion  to  the  punish- 
ment ?  "  Morten  asked,  as  he  wiped  the  perspiration  from 
his  forehead. 

"  It  was  some  little  thing  or  other — I  think  I  called 
out.  The  solitude  and  the  terrible  silence  got  upon  my 
nerves,  and  I  suppose  I  shouted  out  to  make  a  little  life 
in  the  horrible  emptiness.  I  don't  remember  very  clearly, 
but  I  think  that  was  my  crime." 

"  You'd  have  been  the  better  anyhow  for  a  kind  word 
from  a  friend."  Morten  was  still  thinking  of  his  despised 
letters. 


68  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Yes,  but  the  atmosphere  of  a  cell  is  not  suited  for 
friendly  relations  with  the  outside  world.  You  get  to  hate 
all  who  are  at  liberty — those  who  mean  well  by  you  too — 
and  you  chop  off  even  the  little  bit  of  branch  you're  sitting 
on.  Perhaps  I  should  never  have  got  into  touch  with  life 
again  if  it  hadn't  been  for  the  mice  in  my  cell.  I  used  to 
put  crumbs  of  bread  down  the  grating  for  them,  and  when 
I  lay  there  half  dead  and  brooding,  they  ran  squeaking  over 
my  hand.  It  was  a  caress  anyhow,  even  if  it  wasn't  from 
fellow-men." 

Morten  lived  in  a  small  two-roomed  flat  in  the  attics. 
While  they  sat  talking,  a  sound  came  now  and  then  from 
the  other  room,  and  each  time  a  nervous  look  came  into 
Morten's  face,  and  he  glanced  in  annoyance  at  the  closed 
door.  Gradually  he  became  quite  restless  and  his  attention 
was  fixed  on  these  sounds.  Pelle  wondered  at  it,  but  asked 
no  questions. 

Suddenly  there  came  the  sound  of  a  chair  being  over- 
turned. Morten  rose  quickly  and  went  in,  shutting  the 
door  carefully  behind  him.  Pelle  heard  low  voices — 
Morten's  admonishing,  and  a  thin,  refractory,  girlish  voice. 
"  He's  got  a  girl  hidden  in  there,"  thought  Pelle.  "  I'd 
better  be  off." 

He  rose  and  looked  out  of  the  large  attic  window.  How 
everything  had  changed  since  he  first  came  to  the  capital 
and  looked  out  over  it  from  Morten's  old  lodging !  In 
those  days  he  had  had  dreams  of  conquering  it,  and  had 
carried  out  his  plan  too  ;  and  now  he  could  begin  from  the 
beginning  !  An  entirely  new  city  lay  spread  out  beneath 
him.  Where  he  had  once  run  about  among  wharves  and 
coal-bunkers,  there  now  stood  a  row  of  palatial  buildings 
with  a  fine  boulevard.  And  everything  outside  was  new  ; 
a  large  working-men's  district  had  sprung  up  where  there 
had  once  been  timber-yards  or  water.  Below  him  engines 


DAYBREAK  69 

were  drawing  rows  of  trucks  rilled  with  ballast  across  the 
site  for  the  new  goods-station  yard ;  and  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  harbour,  a  new  residential  and  business  quarter 
had  grown  up  on  the  Iceland  Quay.  And  behind  it  all  lay 
the  water  and  the  green  land  of  Amager.  Morten  had  had 
the  sense  to  select  a  high  branch  for  himself  like  the 
nightingales. 

He  had  got  together  a  good  number  of  books  again, 
and  on  his  writing-table  stood  photographs  of  well-known 
men  with  autograph  inscriptions.  To  all  appearances  he 
seemed  to  make  his  way  in  the  world  of  books.  Pelle  took 
down  some  of  Morten's  own  works,  and  turned  over  their 
leaves  with  interest.  He  seemed  to  hear  Morten's  earnest 
voice  behind  the  printed  words.  He  would  begin  to  read 
him  now ! 

Morten  came  in.  "  You're  not  going,  are  you  ?  "  he 
asked,  drawing  his  hand  across  his  forehead.  "  Do  stay 
a  little  while  and  we'll  have  a  good  talk.  You  can't  think 
how  I've  missed  you  ! "  He  looked  tired. 

"  I'm  looking  forward  tremendously  to  reading  your 
books,"  said  Pelle  enthusiastically.  "  What  a  lot  you've 
written  !  You  haven't  given  that  up." 

"  Perhaps  solitude's  taught  you  too  to  like  books," 
said  Morten,  looking  at  him.  "  If  so,  you've  made  some 
good  friends  in  there,  Pelle.  All  that  there  isn't  worth 
much  ;  it's  only  preliminary  work.  It's  a  new  world  ours, 
you  must  remember." 

"  I  don't  think  the  '  Working  Man  '  cares  much  about 
you." 

"  No,  not  much,"  answered  Morten  slowly. 

"  They  say  you  only  write  in  the  upper-class  papers." 

"  If  I  didn't  I  should  starve.  They  don't  grudge  me 
my  food  at  any  rate  !  Our  own  press  still  has  no  use  for 
skirmishers,  but  only  for  men  who  march  to  order  !  " 


70  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  And  it's  very  difficult  for  you  to  subordinate  yourself 
to  any  one,"  said  Pelle  smiling. 

"  I  have  a  responsibility  to  those  above  me,"  answered 
Morten  proudly.  "  If  I  give  the  blind  man  eyes  to  see  into 
the  future,  I  can't  let  myself  be  led  by  him.  Now  and  then 
the  '  Workman  '  gets  hold  of  one  of  my  contributions 
to  the  upper-class  press :  that's  all  the  connection  I  have 
with  my  own  side.  My  food  I  have  to  get  from  the  other 
side  of  the  boundary,  and  lay  my  eggs  there  :  they're 
pretty  hard  conditions.  You  can't  think  how  often  I've 
worried  over  not  being  able  to  speak  to  my  own  people 
except  in  roundabout  ways.  Well,  it  doesn't  matter ! 
I  can  afford  to  wait.  There's  no  way  of  avoiding  the  son 
of  my  father,  and  in  the  meantime  I'm  doing  work  among 
the  upper  classes.  I  bring  the  misery  into  the  life  of  the 
happily-situated,  and  disturb  their  quiet  enjoyment.  The 
upper  classes  must  be  prepared  for  the  revolution  too." 

"  Can  they  stand  your  representations  ?  "  asked  Pelle 
in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  the  upper  classes  are  just  as  tolerant  as  the 
common  people  were  before  they  rose  :  it's  an  outcome  of 
culture.  Sometimes  they're  almost  too  tolerant ;  you 
can't  quite  vouch  for  their  words.  When  there's  some- 
thing they  don't  like,  they  always  get  out  of  it  by  looking 
at  it  from  an  artistic  point  of  view." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  As  a  display,  as  if  you  were  acting  for  their  entertain- 
ment. '  It's  splendidly  done,'  they  say  when  you've  laid 
bare  a  little  of  the  boundless  misery.  '  It's  quite  Russian. 
Of  course  it's  not  real  at  all,  at  any  rate  not  here  at  home.' 
But  you  always  make  a  mark  on  some  one  or  other,  and 
little  by  little  the  food  after  all  becomes  bitter  to  their 
taste,  I  think.  Perhaps  some  day  I  shall  be  lucky  enough 
to  write  in  such  a  way  about  the  poor,  that  no  one  can 


DAYBREAK  71 

leave  them  out.  But  you  yourself — what's  your  attitude 
towards  matters  ?  Are  you  disappointed  ?  " 

"  Yes,  to  some  extent.  In  prison,  in  my  great  need, 
I  left  the  fulfilment  of  the  time  of  prosperity  to  you  others. 
All  the  same  a  great  change  has  taken  place." 

"  And  you're  pleased  with  it  ?  " 

"  Everything  has  become  dearer,"  said  Pelle  slowly, 
"  and  unemployment  seems  on  the  way  to  become  per- 
manent." 

Morten  nodded.  "  That's  the  answer  capital  gives,"  he 
said.  "  It  multiplies  every  rise  in  wages  by  two,  and  puts 
it  back  on  the  workmen  again.  The  poor  man  can't  stand 
very  many  victories  of  that  kind." 

"  Almost  the  worst  thing  about  it  is  the  development 
of  snobbery.  It  seems  to  me  that  our  good  working  classes 
are  being  split  up  into  two — the  higher  professions  which 
will  be  taken  up  into  the  upper  classes,  and  the  proletariat 
which  will  be  left  behind.  The  whole  thing  has  been  planned 
on  too  small  a  scale  for  it  to  get  very  far." 

"  You've  been  out  and  seen  something  of  the  world, 
Pelle,"  said  Morten  significantly.  "  You  must  teach  others 
now." 

"  I  don't  understand  myself,"  answered  Pelle  evasively, 
"  and  I've  been  in  prison.  But  what  about  you  ?  " 

"  I'm  no  good  as  a  rallier  ;  you've  seen  that  yourself. 
They  don't  care  about  me.  I'm  too  far  in  advance  of  the 
great  body  of  them,  and  have  no  actual  connection — you 
know  I'm  really  terribly  lonely !  Perhaps,  though,  I'm 
destined  to  reach  the  heights  before  you  others,  and  if  I 
do  I'll  try  to  light  a  beacon  up  there  for  you." 

Morten  sat  silent  for  a  little  while,  and  then  suddenly 
lifted  his  head. 

"  But  you  must,  Pelle  !  "  he  said.  "  You  say  you're  not 
the  right  man,  but  there's  simply  no  one  but  you.  Have 


72  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

you  forgotten  that  you  fired  the  movement,  that  you  were 
its  simple  faith  ?  They  one  and  all  believed  in  you  blindly 
like  children,  and  were  capable  of  nothing  when  you  gave 
up.  Why,  it's  not  you,  but  the  others — the  whole  movement 
— who've  been  imprisoned !  How  glad  I  am  that  you've 
come  back  full  of  the  strength  gained  there.  You  were 
smaller  than  you  are  now,  Pelle,  and  even  then  something 
happened;  now  you  may  be  successful  even  in  great 
things." 

Pelle  sat  and  listened  in  the  deepening  twilight,  wonder- 
ing with  a  pleased  embarrassment.  It  was  Morten  who 
was  nominating  him,  the  severe,  incorruptible  Morten,  who 
had  always  before  been  after  him  like  his  evil  conscience. 

"  No,  I'm  going  to  be  careful  now,"  he  said,  "  and  it's 
your  own  fault,  Morten.  You've  gone  and  pricked  my  soul 
and  I'm  awake  now,  I  shan't  go  at  anything  blindly  again. 
1  have  a  feeling  that  what  we  two  are  joining  in  is  the  greatest 
thing  the  world  has  ever  seen.  It  reaches  farther  into  the 
future  than  I  can  see,  and  so  I'm  working  on  myself.  I 
study  the  books  now — I  got  into  the  way  of  that  in 
prison — and  I  must  try  to  get  a  view  out  over  the  world. 
Something  strange  too  has  happened  to  me  :  I  understand 
now  what  you  meant  when  you  said  that  man  was  holy  ! 
I'm  no  longer  satisfied  with  being  a  small  part  of  the  whole, 
but  think  I  must  try  to  become  a  whole  world  by  myself. 
It  sounds  foolish,  but  I  feel  as  if  I  were  in  one  of  the  scales 
and  the  rest  of  the  world  in  the  other  ;  and  until  I  can  send 
the  other  scale  up,  I  can't  think  of  putting  myself  at  the 
head  of  the  multitude." 

Evening  had  closed  in  before  they  were  aware  of  it. 
The  electric  light  from  the  railway-station  yard  threw  its 
gleam  upon  the  ceiling  of  the  attic  room  and  was  reflected 
thence  on  to  the  two  men  who  sat  leaning  forward  in  the 
half-darkness,  talking  quietly.  Neither  of  them  noticed 


DAYBREAK  73 

that  the  door  to  the  other  room  had  opened,  and  a  tall, 
thin  girl  stood  on  the  threshold  gazing  at  them  with  dilated 
pupils.  She  was  in  her  chemise  only,  and  it  had  slipped 
from  one  thin  shoulder ;  and  her  feet  were  bare.  The 
chemise  reached  only  to  her  knees,  leaving  exposed  a  pair 
of  sadly  emaciated  legs.  A  wheezing  sound  accompanied 
her  breathing. 

Pelle  had  raised  his  head  to  say  something,  but  was 
silent  at  sight  of  the  lean,  white  figure,  which  stood  looking 
at  him  with  great  eyes  that  seemed  to  draw  the  darkness 
into  them.  The  meeting  with  Morten  had  put  him  into  an 
expectant  frame  of  mind.  He  still  had  the  call  sounding 
in  his  ears,  and  gazed  in  amazement  at  the  ghostly  appari- 
tion. The  delicate  lines,  spoiled  by  want,  the  expression 
of  childlike  terror  of  the  dark — all  this  twofold  picture  of 
wanness  stamped  with  the  stamp  of  death,  and  of  an  unful- 
filled promise  of  beauty — was  it  not  the  ghost  of  poverty, 
of  wrong  and  oppression,  a  tortured  apparition  sent  to 
admonish  him  ?  Was  his  brain  failing  ?  Were  the  horrible 
visions  of  the  darkness  of  his  cell  returning  ?  "  Morten  !  " 
he  whispered,  touching  his  arm. 

Morten  sprang  up.  "  Why,  Johanna !  Aren't  you 
ashamed  of  yourself  ?  "  he  exclaimed  reproachfully.  He 
tried  to  make  the  girl  go  back  into  the  other  room,  and  to 
close  the  door  ;  but  she  pushed  past  him  out  into  the  room. 

"  I  will  see  him  !  "  she  cried  excitedly.  "  If  you  don't 
let  me,  I  shall  run  away !  He's  hidden  my  clothes,"  she 
said  to  Pelle,  gazing  at  him  with  her  sunken  eyes.  "  But 
I  can  easily  run  away  in  my  chemise.  I  don't  care  !  " 
Her  voice  was  rough  and  coarse  from  the  damp  air  of  the 
back  yards. 

"  Now  go  back  to  bed,  Johanna  !  "  said  Morten  more 
gently.  "  Remember  what  the  doctor  said.  You'll  catch 
cold  and  it'll  all  be  wasted." 


74  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  What  do  I  care !  "  she  answered,  breaking  into  a 
coarse  laugh.  "  You  needn't  waste  anything  on  me  ;  I've 
had  no  children  by  you."  She  was  trembling  with  cold, 
but  remained  obstinately  standing,  and  answered  Morten's 
remonstrances  with  a  torrent  of  abusive  epithets.  At  last 
he  gave  it  up  and  sat  down  wearily.  The  two  men  sat 
and  looked  at  her  in  silence. 

The  child  was  evidently  uncomfortable  at  the  cessation 
of  resistance,  and  became  confused  beneath  their  silent 
gaze.  She  tossed  her  head  and  looked  defiantly  from  the 
one  to  the  other,  her  eyes  glowing  with  an  unnatural 
brightness.  Suddenly  she  sank  upon  the  floor  and  began 
to  cry. 

"  This  won't  do,"  said  Pelle  gravely. 

"  I  can't  manage  her,"  answered  Morten  hopelessly, 
"  but  you  are  strong  enough." 

Pelle  stooped  and  took  her  up  in  his  arms.  She  kicked 
and  bit  him.  "  She's  got  a  fit,"  he  said  to  Morten.  "  We 
must  take  her  out  to  the  pump."  She  instantly  became 
quiet  and  let  him  carry  her  to  bed.  The  fever  was  raging 
in  her,  and  he  noticed  how  her  body  was  racked  with  every 
breath  she  drew  ;  it  sounded  like  a  leaky  pump. 

When  Morten,  with  a  few  kind  words,  covered  her  up, 
she  began  to  weep  convulsively,  but  turned  her  face  to  the 
wall  and  stuffed  the  quilt  into  her  mouth  in  order  to  hide 
it.  She  gradually  became  quieter  and  at  last  fell  asleep ; 
and  the  two  men  stole  out  of  the  room  and  closed  the  door 
after  them. 

Morten  looked  tired  out,  for  he  was  still  not  strong. 
"  I've  let  myself  in  for  something  that  I'm  not  equal  to," 
he  said  despondently. 

"  Who  is  the  poor  child  ?  "  asked  Pelle  softly. 

"  I  don't  know.  She  came  to  me  this  spring,  almost 
dead  drunk  and  in  a  fearful  state  ;  and  the  next  day  she 


DAYBREAK  75 

regretted  it  and  went  off,  but  I  got  hold  of  her  again.  She's 
one  of  those  poor  creatures  who  have  no  other  home  than 
the  big  timber-yards,  and  there  she's  made  a  living  by 
going  from  one  to  another  of  the  bigger  lads.  I  can  get 
nothing  out  of  her,  but  I've  found  out  in  other  ways  that 
she's  lived  among  timber-stacks  and  in  cellars  for  at  least 
two  years.  The  boys  enticed  dissolute  men  out  there  and 
sold  her,  taking  most  of  the  money  themselves  and  giving 
her  spirits  to  encourage  her.  From  what  I  can  make  out 
there  are  whole  organised  bands  which  supply  the  dissolute 
men  of  the  city  with  boys  and  girls.  It  makes  one  sick 
to  think  of  it  !  The  child  must  be  an  orphan,  but  won't, 
as  I  said,  tell  me  anything.  Once  or  twice  I've  heard  her 
talk  in  her  sleep  of  her  grandmother ;  but  when  I've 
referred  to  it,  she  sulks  and  won't  speak." 

"  Does  she  drink  ?  "  asked  Pelle. 

Morten  nodded.  "  I've  had  some  bad  times  with  her 
on  that  account,"  he  said.  "  She  shows  incredible  ingenuity 
when  it's  a  case  of  getting  hold  of  liquor.  At  first  she 
couldn't  eat  hot  food  at  all,  she  was  in  such  a  state.  She's 
altogether  fearfully  shattered  in  soul  and  body,  and  causes 
me  much  trouble." 

"  Why  don't  you  get  her  into  some  home  ?  " 

"  Our  public  institutions  for  the  care  of  children  are 
not  calculated  to  foster  life  in  a  down-trodden  plant,  and 
you'll  not  succeed  with  Johanna  by  punishment  and  treat- 
ment like  any  ordinary  child.  At  times  she's  quite  ab- 
normally defiant  and  unmanageable,  and  makes  me  alto- 
gether despair ;  and  then  when  I'm  not  looking,  she  lies 
and  cries  over  herself.  There's  much  good  in  her  in  spite 
of  everything,  but  she  can't  let  it  come  out.  I've  tried 
getting  her  into  a  private  family,  where  I  knew  they  would 
be  kind  to  her  ;  but  not  many  days  had  passed  before  they 
came  and  said  she'd  run  away.  For  a  couple  of  weeks 


76  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

she  wandered  about,  and  then  came  back  again  to  me. 
Late  one  evening  when  I  came  home,  I  found  her  sitting 
wet  and  shivering  in  the  dark  corner  outside  my  door.  I 
was  quite  touched,  but  she  was  angry  because  I  saw  her, 
and  bit  and  kicked  as  she  did  just  now.  I  had  to  carry  her 
in  by  force.  Her  unhappy  circumstances  have  thrown 
her  quite  off  her  balance,  and  I  at  any  rate  can't  make  her 
out.  So  that's  how  matters  stand.  I  sleep  on  the  sofa 
in  here,  but  of  course  a  bachelor's  quarters  are  not  exactly 
arranged  for  this.  There's  a  lot  of  gossip  too  among  the 
other  lodgers." 

"  Does  that  trouble  you  ?  "  asked  Pelle  in  surprise. 

"  No,  but  the  child,  you  see — she's  terribly  alive  to 
that  sort  of  thing.  And  then  she  doesn't  comprehend  the 
circumstances  herself.  She's  only  about  eleven  or  twelve, 
and  yet  she's  already  accustomed  to  pay  for  every  kindness 
with  her  weak  body.  Can't  you  imagine  how  dreadful  it 
is  to  look  into  her  wondering  eyes  ?  The  doctor  says  she's 
been  injured  internally  and  is  probably  tuberculous  too  ; 
he  thinks  she'll  never  get  right.  And  her  soul !  What  an 
abyss  for  a  child !  For  even  one  child  to  have  such  a 
fate  is  too  much,  and  how  many  there  are  in  the  hell  hi 
which  we  live  !  " 

They  were  both  silent  for  a  little  while,  and  then  Morten 
rose.  "  You  mustn't  mind  if  I  ask  you  to  go,"  he  said, 
"  but  I  must  get  to  work ;  there's  something  I've  got  to 
finish  this  evening.  You  won't  mind,  will  you?  Come 
and  see  me  again  as  soon  as  you  can,  and  thanks  for  coming 
this  time  !  "  he  said  as  he  pressed  Pelle's  hand. 

"  I'd  like  you  to  keep  your  eyes  open,"  he  said  as  he 
followed  him  to  the  door.  "  Perhaps  you  could  help  me 
to  find  out  the  history  of  the  poor  thing.  You  know  a  lot 
of  poor  people,  and  must  have  come  in  some  way  or  other 
into  her  life,  for  I  can  see  it  in  her.  Didn't  you  notice  how 


DAYBREAK  77 

eager  she  was  to  have  a  look  at  you  ?     Try  to  find  out  about 
it,  will  you  ?  " 

Pelle  promised,  but  it  was  more  easily  said  than  done. 
When  his  thoughts  searched  the  wide  world  of  poverty  to 
which  he  had  drawn  so  close  during  the  great  lock-out,  he 
realised  that  there  were  hundreds  of  children  who  might 
have  suffered  Johanna's  fate. 


PELLE  had  got  out  his  old  tools  and  started  as  shoemaker 
to  the  dwellers  in  his  street.  He  no  longer  went  about 
seeking  for  employment,  and  to  Ellen  it  appeared  as  if  he 
had  given  up  all  hope  of  getting  any.  But  he  was  only 
waiting  and  arming  himself :  he  was  as  sanguine  as  ever. 
The  promise  of  the  inconceivable  was  still  unfulfilled  hi  his 
mind. 

There  was  no  room  for  him  up  in  the  small  flat  with 
Ellen  doing  her  washing  there,  so  he  took  a  room  in  the 
high  basement,  and  hung  up  a  large  placard  in  the  window, 
on  which  he  wrote  with  shoemaker's  ink,  "  Come  to  me 
with  your  shoes,  and  we  will  help  one  another  to  stand  on 
our  feet."  When  Lasse  Fredrik  was  not  at  work  or  at 
school,  he  was  generally  to  be  found  downstairs  with  his 
father.  He  was  a  clever  fellow  and  could  give  a  hand  in 
many  ways.  While  they  worked  they  talked  about  all 
sorts  of  things,  and  the  boy  related  his  experiences  to  his 
father. 

He  was  changing  very  rapidly  and  talked  sensibly  about 
everything.  Pelle  was  afraid  he  was  getting  too  little  out 
of  his  childhood.  "  Aren't  you  going  up  to  play  with 
them  ?  "  he  asked,  when  the  boys  of  the  neighbourhood 
rushed  shouting  past  the  basement  window ;  but  Lasse 
Fredrik  shook  his  head.  He  had  played  at  being  every- 
thing, from  a  criminal  to  a  king,  so  there  was  nothing 
more  to  be  had  in  that  direction.  He  wanted  something 
78 


DAYBREAK  79 

real  now,  and  in  the  mean  time  had  dreams  of  going 
to  sea. 

Although  they  all  three  worked,  they  could  only  just 
make  ends  meet ;  there  was  never  anything  over  for  extras. 
This  was  a  sorrow  to  Ellen  especially  ;  Pelle  did  not  seem 
to  think  much  about  it.  If  they  only  put  something  eatable 
before  him,  he  was  contented  and  did  not  mind  what  it  was. 

It  was  Ellen's  dream  that  they  should  still,  by  toiling 
early  and  late,  be  able  to  work  themselves  up  into  another 
stratum  ;  but  Pelle  was  angry  when  she  worked  on  after 
the  time  for  leaving  off.  He  would  rather  they  were  a  little 
poor,  if  only  they  could  afford  to  be  human  beings.  Ellen 
did  not  understand  it,  but  she  saw  that  his  mind  was  turned 
in  another  direction  ;  he  who  had  hitherto  always  fallen 
asleep  over  books  would  now  become  so  absorbed  in  them 
that  he  did  not  hear  the  children  playing  round  him.  She 
had  actually  to  rouse  him  when  there  was  anything  she 
wanted  ;  and  she  began  to  fear  this  new  power  which  had 
come  in  place  of  the  old.  It  seemed  like  a  curse  that  some- 
thing should  always  work  upon  him  to  take  him  beyond 
her.  And  she  dared  not  oppose  it ;  she  had  bitter 
experience  from  former  times. 

"  What  are  you  looking  for  in  those  books  ?  "  she  asked, 
sitting  down  beside  him.  Pelle  looked  up  absently.  His 
thoughts  were  in  far-off  regions  where  she  had  never  been. 
What  was  he  looking  for  ?  He  tried  to  tell  her,  but  could 
not  explain  it.  "I'm  looking  for  myself !  "  he  said  sud- 
denly, striking  boldly  through  everything.  Ellen  gazed  at 
him,  wondering  and  disappointed. 

But  she  tried  again.  This  time  nothing  should  come 
between  them  and  destroy  her  world.  She  no  longer 
directly  opposed  anything  ;  she  meant  to  go  with  him  and 
be  where  he  was.  "  Tell  me  what  you  are  doing  and  let 
me  take  part  in  it,"  she  said. 


8o  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Pelle  had  been  prepared  to  some  extent  to  go  into  this 
by  himself,  and  was  glad  to  meet  with  a  desire  for  develop- 
ment in  her  too.  For  the  present  the  intellectual  world 
resembled  more  or  less  a  wilderness,  and  it  was  good  to 
have  a  companion  with  him  in  traversing  it. 

He  explained  to  her  the  thoughts  that  occupied  him, 
and  discussed  them  with  her  ;  and  Ellen  observed  wonder- 
ingly  that  it  was  all  about  things  that  did  not  concern 
their  own  little  well-being.  She  took  great  pains  to  com- 
prehend this  flight  away  from  the  things  that  mattered 
most ;  it  was  like  children  who  always  wanted  what  they 
ought  not  to  have. 

In  the  evening,  when  Boy  Comfort  and  Sister  had  been 
put  to  bed,  Pelle  would  take  a  book  and  read  aloud.  Ellen 
was  occupied  with  some  mending  or  other,  and  Lasse 
Fredrik,  his  ears  standing  out  from  his  head,  hung  over  a 
chair-back  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  his  father.  Although 
he  did  not  understand  the  half  of  it,  he  followed  it  atten- 
tively until  Nature  asserted  herself,  and  he  fell  asleep. 

Ellen  understood  this  very  well,  for  she  had  great 
difficulty  herself  in  keeping  her  eyes  open.  They  were  not 
stories  that  Pelle  read.  Sometimes  he  would  stop  to  write 
something  down  or  to  discuss  some  question  or  other.  He 
would  have  the  most  extraordinary  ideas,  and  see  a  con- 
nection between  things  that  seemed  to  Ellen  to  be  as  far 
apart  as  the  poles  ;  she  could  not  help  thinking  that  he 
might  very  well  have  studied  to  be  a  pastor.  It  suited 
him,  however  ;  his  eyes  became  quite  black  when  he  was 
explaining  some  subject  that  he  was  thoroughly  interested 
in,  and  his  lips  assumed  an  expression  that  made  her  long 
to  kiss  them.  She  had  to  confess  to  herself  that  in  any 
case  it  was  a  very  harmless  evening  occupation,  and  was 
glad  that  what  was  interesting  him  this  time  kept  him  at 
home  at  any  rate. 


DAYBREAK  81 

One  day  Pelle  became  aware  that  she  was  not  following 
him.  She  did  not  even  believe  in  what  he  was  doing  ;  she 
had  never  believed  in  him  blindly.  "  She's  never  really 
loved  me  either  :  that's  why  !  "  he  thought  despondently. 
Perhaps  that  explained  why  she  took  Boy  Comfort  as 
calmly  as  if  he  were  her  own  child  :  she  was  not  jealous  ! 
Pelle  would  willingly  have  submitted  to  a  shower  of 
reproaches  if  afterwards  she  had  given  him  a  kiss  wetted 
with  hot  tears  ;  but  Ellen  was  never  thrown  off  her  balance. 

Happy  though  they  were,  he  noticed  that  she,  to  a 
certain  extent,  reckoned  without  him,  as  if  he  had  a  weak- 
ness of  which  it  was  always  well  to  take  account.    Her 
earlier  experiences  had  left  their  mark  upon  her. 
*  *  *  *  * 

Ellen  had  been  making  plans  with  regard  to  the  old 
room  and  the  two  small  ante-rooms  at  the  end  of  it.  She 
was  tired  of  washing  ;  it  paid  wretchedly  and  gave  a  great 
deal  of  work,  and  she  received  very  little  consideration. 
She  now  wanted  to  let  lodgings  to  artistes.  She  knew  of 
more  than  one  woman  in  their  street  who  made  a  nice  living 
by  taking  in  artistes.  "  If  I'd  only  got  a  couple  of  hundred 
krones  (10  or  n  pounds)  to  start  it  with,  I'm  sure  I  should 
make  it  pay,"  she  said.  "  And  then  you'd  have  more  time 
and  quiet  for  reading  your  books,"  she  added  coaxingly. 

Pelle  was  against  the  plan.  The  better  class  of  artistes 
took  rooms  at  the  artiste  hotels,  and  the  people  they  might 
expect  to  get  had  not  much  to  pay  with.  He  had  seen  a 
good  deal  of  them  from  his  basement  window,  and  had 
mended  shoes  for  some  of  them  :  they  were  rather  a  sole- 
less  tribe.  She  said  no  more  about  it,  but  he  could  see 
that  she  was  not  convinced.  She  only  dropped  the  subject 
because  he  was  against  it  and  it  was  he  who  would  have  to 
procure  the  money. 

He  could  not  bear  to  think  this  ;  he  had  become  cautious 

VOL.  IV.  G 


82  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

about  deciding  for  others.  The  money  might  be  obtained, 
if  in  no  other  way,  by  giving  security  in  his  furniture  and 
tools.  If  the  plan  did  not  succeed,  it  would  be  certain 
ruin  ;  but  perhaps  Ellen  thought  him  a  wet  blanket. 

One  day  he  threw  down  his  leather  apron  and  went  out 
to  raise  the  money.  It  was  late  when  he  came  home,  and 
Ellen  was  standing  at  the  door  waiting  for  him  with  a  face 
of  anxiety. 

"  Here's  the  money,  my  dear  !  What'll  you  give  me 
for  it  ?  "  he  said  gaily,  and  counted  out  into  her  hand  a 
hundred  and  eighty  krones  (£10)  in  notes.  Ellen  gazed  in 
surprise  at  the  money  ;  she  had  never  held  so  large  a  sum 
in  her  hands  before. 

"  Wherever  did  you  get  all  that  money  from  ?  "  she 
asked  at  last. 

"  Well,  I've  trudged  all  day  from  place  to  place,"  said 
Pelle  cheerfully,  "  and  at  last  I  was  directed  to  a  man  in 
Blaagaard  Street.  He  gave  me  two  hundred  krones  (£n) 
on  the  furniture." 

"  But  there's  only  one  hundred  and  eighty  (£10)  here  !  " 

"Oh  well,  he  took  off  twenty  krones  (£i  2s.).  The 
loan's  to  be  repaid  in  instalments  of  twenty  krones  (£i  2s.) 
a  month  for  fifteen  months.  I  had  to  sign  a  statement 
that  I  had  borrowed  three  hundred  krones  (£16  ios.),  but 
then  we  shan't  have  to  pay  any  interest." 

Ellen  stared  at  him  in  amazement.  "  Three  hundred 
krones  and  we've  only  got  a  hundred  and  eighty,  Pelle  !  " 
But  she  suddenly  threw  her  arms  round  his  neck  and  kissed 
him  passionately.  "  Thank  you !  "  she  whispered.  He 
felt  quite  dazed  ;  it  was  not  like  her  to  be  so  vehement. 

She  had  plenty  to  do,  after  hiring  the  room,  in  putting 
it  in  order.  The  loose  beams  had  to  be  fixed  up,  and  the 
walls  plastered  and  whitewashed  a  little.  The  old  peasant 
was  willing  enough  to  let  it,  but  he  would  not  hear  of  going 


DAYBREAK  83 

to  any  expense.  Ellen  at  last  succeeded,  however,  in 
getting  him  to  agree  to  pay  half  the  repairs  on  condition 
that  she  took  the  room  for  a  year  and  payed  the  rent  in 
advance.  "  We  can  get  my  brother  Frederik  to  do  some  of 
the  repairs  on  Sunday  morning,"  she  said  to  Pelle,  "  and 
then  perhaps  we  shall  get  it  done  for  nothing."  She  was 
altogether  very  energetic. 

There  was  need  for  it  too.  The  rent  swallowed  up  the 
hundred  krones  (£5  ios.),  and  then  there  were  all  the  things 
that  had  to  be  got.  She  bought  a  quantity  of  cheap  print, 
and  hung  it  up  so  as  to  divide  one  side  of  the  room  into  a 
number  of  small  compartments  each  provided  with  a 
second-hand  bed  and  hay  mattress,  and  a  washing-stand. 
"  Artistes  are  not  so  particular,"  she  said,  "  and  I'm  sure 
they'll  be  glad  to  have  the  room  to  practise  in."  Finally 
there  were  the  two  little  ante-rooms,  which  were  to  be 
furnished  a  little  better  for  more  particular  artistes.  There 
was  not  nearly  enough  money,  and  some  of  the  things 
had  to  be  taken  on  credit. 

At  last  it  was  all  ready  to  receive  the  guests.  It  looked 
quite  smart  for  the  amount  spent  on  it,  and  Pelle  could  not 
but  admire  her  cleverness  in  making  a  little  go  a  long  way. 
The  only  thing  now  left  to  do  was  to  catch  the  birds,  but 
here  Ellen's  practical  sense  ceased  to  act ;  she  had  no  idea 
how  to  proceed.  "  We  must  advertise,"  she  said,  and 
counted  up  her  remaining  pence. 

Pelle  laughed  at  her.  A  lot  of  good  it  would  be  to  adver- 
tise for  people  who  were  goodness  knows  where  on  railways 
and  steamers  !  "  What  shall  we  do  then  ?  "  she  said, 
looking  anxiously  to  him  for  help.  After  all  he  was  the 
man  for  it  all. 

Well,  first  of  all  there  must  be  a  German  placard  down 
on  the  street-door,  and  then  they  must  make  the  rooms 
known.  Pelle  had  studied  both  German  and  English  in 


84  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

the  prison,  and  he  made  up  the  placard  himself.  He  had 
cards  printed,  and  left  them  in  the  artistes'  tavern  at  the 
corner  of  Vesterbro  Street,  went  there  himself  two  or  three 
times  after  midnight  when  the  artistes  gathered  there  when 
their  work^was  finished,  and  stationed  himself  at  the  stage- 
entrances  of  the  music-halls.  He  soon  came  to  look  upon 
it  as  a  task  to  be  performed,  like  everything  with  which 
he  occupied  himself  ;  and  this  should  succeed  ! 

Ellen  looked  on  wondering  and  helpless.  She  had  all  at 
once  grown  frightened,  and  followed  each  of  his  move- 
ments with  anxious  attention. 

Soon,  however,  things  began  to  move.  The  girls  whose 
washing  Ellen  had  done,  took  an  interest  in  the  undertaking, 
and  sent  lodgers  to  her ;  and  Lasse  Fredrik,  who  had  the 
run  of  the  circus  stables,  often  returned  with  some  Russian 
groom  or  other  who  did  a  turn  as  a  rustic  dancer  or  a 
Cossack  horseman.  Sometimes  there  lived  with  her  people 
from  the  other  side  of  the  world  where  they  walk  with  their 
heads  down — fakirs  and  magicians  from  India  and  Japan, 
snake-charmers  from  Tetuan,  people  with  shaven  heads  or 
a  long  black  pigtail,  with  oblique,  sorrowful  eyes,  loose  hips 
and  skin  that  resembled  the  greenish  leather  that  Pelle 
used  for  ladies'  boots.  Sister  was  afraid  of  them,  but  it  was 
the  time  of  his  life  to  Lasse  Fredrik.  There  were  fat  Tyro- 
lese  girls,  who  came  three  by  three  ;  they  jodeled  at  the 
music-halls,  and  looked  dreadful  all  day,  much  to  Ellen's 
despair.  Now  and  then  a  whole  company  would  come, 
and  then  trapezes  and  rings  creaked  in  the  great  room, 
Spanish  dancers  went  through  their  steps,  and  jugglers 
practised  new  feats. 

They  were  all  people  who  should  preferably  not  be  seen 
off  the  stage.  Ellen  often  went  to  the  circus  and  music-halls 
now,  but  could  never  quite  believe  that  the  performers  were 
the  same  men  and  women  who  went  about  at  home  looking 


DAYBREAK  85 

like  scarecrows.  Most  of  them  required  nothing  except 
that  the  lodging  should  be  cheap  ;  they  boarded  themselves, 
and  goodness  knows  what  they  lived  on.  Some  of  them 
simply  lighted  a  fire  on  a  sheet  of  iron  on  the  floor  and 
made  a  mixture  of  rice  or  something  of  the  sort.  They 
could  not  eat  Danish  food,  Pelle  said.  Sometimes  they 
went  away  without  paying,  and  occasionally  took  something 
with  them  ;  and  they  often  broke  things.  There  was  no 
fortune  to  be  made  out  of  them,  but  in  the  meantime 
Ellen  was  satisfied  as  long  as  she  could  keep  it  going,  so 
that  it  paid  the  rent  and  instalments  on  the  loan  and  left 
her  a  little  for  her  trouble.  It  was  her  intention  to  weed 
out  the  more  worthless  subjects,  and  raise  the  whole  tone 
of  the  business  when  it  had  got  into  good  order. 

"  You  really  might  refuse  the  worst  work  now,  and  save 
yourself  a  little,"  she  said  to  Pelle  when  he  was  sitting  over 
some  worn-out  factory  shoes  that  had  neither  sole  nor 
upper.  Most  boots  and  shoes  had  done  service  somewhere 
else  before  they  reached  this  neighbourhood ;  and  when 
they  came  to  Pelle,  there  was  not  much  left  of  them. 
"  Say  no  to  it !  "  said  Ellen.  "  It's  far  too  hardly  earned 
for  you  !  And  we  shall  get  on  now  without  having  to  take 
everything."  In  the  kindness  of  her  heart  she  wanted  him 
to  be  able  to  read  his  books,  since  he  had  a  weakness  for  them. 
Her  intention  was  good,  but  Pelle  had  no  thought  of  be- 
coming an  sesthetic  idler,  who  let  his  wife  keep  him  while 
he  posed  as  a  learned  man.  There  were  enough  of  them 
in  the  neighbourhood,  and  the  inhabitants  looked  up  to 
them ;  but  they  were  not  interesting.  They  were  more 
or  less  another  form  of  drunkard. 

To  Pelle  books  were  a  new  power,  grown  slowly  out  of 
his  sojourn  in  prison.  He  had  sat  there  alone  with  his 
work,  thrown  on  himself  for  occupation,  and  he  had 
examined  himself  in  every  detail.  It  was  like  having 


86  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

companionship  when  he  brought  to  light  anything  new  and 
strange  in  himself ;  and  one  day  he  chanced  upon  the 
mistiness  of  his  own  being,  and  discovered  that  it  consisted 
of  experience  that  others  had  gone  through  before  him. 
The  Bible,  which  always  lay  on  the  prisoner's  table  for 
company,  helped  him  ;  its  words  had  the  sound  of  a  well- 
known  voice  that  reminded  him  strongly  of  Father  Lasse's 
in  his  childhood.  From  the  Bible  he  went  on  farther  and 
discovered  that  the  serious  books  were  men  who  sat  in 
solitude  like  himself,  and  spoke  out. 

Was  solitude  so  dreadful  then  when  you  had  such 
company  ?  Pelle  was  no  longer  able  to  comprehend  his 
own  fear  of  it.  As  a  child  he  had  been  a  creature  in  the 
widest  sense,  and  found  companionship  in  everything  ;  he 
could  converse  with  trees,  animals,  and  stones.  Those  fibres 
had  withered,  and  no  longer  conveyed  nourishment ;  but 
then  he  became  one  with  the  masses,  and  thought  and  felt 
exactly  as  they  did.  That  was  crumbling  away  too  now  ; 
he  was  being  isolated  distinctly,  bit  by  bit,  and  he  was 
interested  in  discovering  a  plan  in  it.  He  had  made  Nature 
subject  to  him  even  as  a  child,  and  had  afterwards  won  the 
masses !  It  was  solitude  now  that  had  to  be  taken,  and 
he  himself  was  going  about  in  the  midst  of  it,  large  and 
wonderful !  It  was  already  leaving  indelible  traces  in  his 
mind,  although  he  had  seen  nothing  of  it  yet.  He  felt 
strangely  excited,  very  much  as  he  had  felt  when,  in  his 
childhood,  he  arrived  in  Bornholm  with  his  father  and 
could  see  nothing,  but  heard  the  movement  of  thronging 
life  behind  the  mist.  A  new  and  unknown  world,  full  of 
wonders  and  throbbing  with  anticipation,  would  meet  him 
in  there. 

Pelle's  action  was  not  due  to  his  own  volition.  He 
might  as  well  try  to  lift  himself  up  by  his  hair  as  deter- 
mine that  now  he  would  be  a  human  being  by  himself. 


DAYBREAK  87 

It  was  an  awakening  of  new  powers.  He  no  longer  let 
sunshine  and  rain  pass  unnoticed  over  his  head.  A  strange 
thing  happened  to  him — he  looked  wonderingly  at  every- 
thing that  he  had  formerly  passed  by  as  commonplace,  and 
saw  it  all  in  a  new,  brilliant  light.  He  had  to  go  all  over 
it  from  the  beginning,  look  at  every  detail.  How  wonder- 
fully everything  was  connected,  sorrow  and  joy  and  apparent 
trifles,  to  make  him,  Pelle,  who  had  ruled  over  hundreds  of 
thousands  and  yet  had  to  go  to  prison  in  order  to  feel 
himself  rich.  Something  had  been  ignited  in  him  that 
could  never  be  extinguished,  a  sacred  fire  to  which  every- 
thing must  bear  fuel,  whether  it  would  or  not.  He  could 
not  be  conquered  now ;  he  drew  strength  from  infinity 
itself. 

The  bare  cell — three  paces  one  way  and  six  the  other — 
with  its  tiny  window  and  the  mysterious  peep-hole  in  the 
door  which  was  like  a  watchful  eye  upon  one  always,  how 
much  it  had  held  !  It  had  always  been  the  lot  of  the  poor 
man  to  create  worlds  out  of  the  void,  beautiful  mirages 
which  suddenly  broke  and  threw  him  back  even  poorer 
and  more  desolate.  But  this  lasted.  All  the  threads  of  life 
seemed  to  be  joined  together  in  the  bare  cell.  It  was  like 
the  dark,  underground  place  in  large  buildings  where  the 
machinery  is  kept  that  admits  and  excludes  light  and  heat 
to  the  whole  block.  There  he  discovered  how  rich  and 
varied  life  is. 

Pelle  went  about  in  a  peculiarly  elevated  frame  of  mind. 
He  felt  that  something  greater  and  finer  than  himself  had 
taken  up  its  abode  within  him  and  would  grow  on  to  per- 
fection there.  It  was  a  new  being  that  yet  was  himself  ; 
it  remained  there  and  drew  nourishment  from  everything 
that  he  did.  He  went  about  circumspectly  and  quietly, 
with  an  introspective  expression  as  though  he  were  weighing 
everything  :  there  was  so  much  that  was  not  permissible 


88  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

because  it  might  injure  it !  There  were  always  two  of  them 
now — Pelle  and  this  wonderful,  invisible  ego,  which  lay 
securely  and  weightily  within  him  like  a  living  thing,  with 
its  roots  in  the  darkness. 

Pelle's  relations  to  books  were  deeply  grounded :  he 
had  to  find  out  what  the  world  meant  now.  He  was  a  little 
distrustful  of  works  of  fiction  ;  you  got  at  their  subject- 
matter  too  easily,  and  that  could  not  be  right.  They  were 
made  up  too  1  He  needed  real  stuff,  facts.  There  were 
great  spaces  in  his  brain  that  longed  to  be  filled  with  a 
tangible  knowledge  of  things.  His  favourite  reading  was 
historical  works,  especially  social  history ;  and  at  present 
he  read  everything  that  came  in  his  way,  raw  and  un- 
sweetened ;  it  would  have  to  sort  itself  out.  It  was  a 
longing  that  had  never  been  satisfied,  and  now  seemed 
insatiable. 

He  minded  his  work  punctiliously,  however.  He  had 
made  it  a  principle  never  to  touch  a  book  as  long  as  any 
work  lay  waiting  unfinished  on  the  floor.  In  prison  he  had 
dreamt  of  a  reasonable  working-day  of — for  instance — 
eight  hours,  so  that  he  would  have  time  and  strength  to 
occupy  himself  with  intellectual  matters  ;  but  now  he  took 
it  off  his  night's  sleep  instead.  This  was  at  any  rate  a  field 
out  of  which  they  need  not  try  to  keep  him  ;  he  would 
have  his  share  in  the  knowledge  of  the  times.  He  felt  it 
was  a  weapon.  The  poor  man  had  long  enough  retired 
willingly  into  the  corner  for  want  of  enlightenment,  and 
whenever  he  put  out  his  head  he  was  laughed  back  again. 
Why  did  he  not  simply  wrest  the  prerogative  from  the  upper 
classes  ?  It  cost  only  toil,  and  in  that  coin  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  pay  !  He  was  scarcely  deficient  in  ability  ;  as 
far  as  Pelle  could  see  at  present,  almost  all  the  pioneers 
of  the  new  state  of  things  came  from  the  lower  classes. 

He  discovered  with  pleasure  that  his  inward  searching 


DAYBREAK  89 

did  not  carry  him  away  from  the  world,  for  far  in  there  he 
came  out  again  into  the  light — the  light  itself !  He  fol- 
lowed the  secret  laws  for  his  own  inward  being,  and  found 
himself  once  more  deep  in  the  question  of  the  welfare  of 
the  multitude.  His  practical  sense  required  this  confirma- 
tion of  the  conditions.  There  were  also  outward  results. 
Even  now  history  could  no  longer  be  used  to  light  him  and 
his  ideas  home  ;  he  knew  too  much.  And  his  vision  grew 
from  day  to  day,  and  embraced  an  ever-widening  horizon. 
Some  day  he  would  simply  take  the  magic  word  from  the 
trolls  and  wake  the  giant  with  it  1 

He  worked  hard  and  was  as  a  rule  full  of  confidence. 
When  the  last  of  the  artistes  came  home  from  their  cafS, 
he  was  often  sitting  working  by  the  light  of  his  shoemaker's 
lamp.  They  would  stop  before  the  open  basement  window 
and  have  a  chat  with  him  in  their  broken  Danish.  His 
domestic  circumstances  were  somewhat  straitened ;  the 
instalments  in  repayment  of  the  loan,  and  the  debt  on  the 
furniture  still  swallowed  all  that  they  were  able  to  scrape 
together,  and  Pelle  had  no  prospect  of  getting  better  work. 
But  work  is  the  bearer  of  faith,  and  he  felt  sure  that  a  way 
would  open  out  if  only  he  kept  on  with  it  unweariedly. 

He  took  Ellen's  unspoken  mistrust  of  his  projects 
quietly.  He  felt  himself  to  be  greater  than  she  in  this  ;  she 
could  not  reach  up  to  the  level  of  his  head  ! 


VI 

PELLE  was  awake  as  early  as  four  o'clock,  although  he  had 
gone  to  bed  late.  He  slept  lightly  at  this  time,  when  the 
summer  night  lay  lightly  upon  his  eyelids.  He  stole  out 
into  the  kitchen  and  washed  himself  under  the  tap,  and 
then  went  down  to  his  work.  The  grey  spirit  of  the  night 
was  still  visible  down  in  the  street,  but  a  tinge  of  red  was 
appearing  above  the  roofs.  "  The  sun's  rising  now  over 
the  country,"  he  thought,  recalling  the  mornings  of  his 
childhood,  the  fields  with  their  sheen  of  silvery  dew,  and 
the  sun  suddenly  coming  and  changing  them  into  thousands 
of  sparkling  diamond  drops.  Ah,  if  one  could  once  more 
run  bare-footed,  if  a  little  shrinkingly,  out  into  the  dewy 
grass,  and  shout  a  greeting  to  the  dawning  day  :  "  Get  up, 
Sun  !  Pelle  is  here  already  !  " 

The  night-watchman  came  slowly  past  the  open  window 
on  his  way  home.  "  Up  already  ?  "  he  exclaimed  in  a  voice 
hoarse  with  the  night  air,  as  he  nodded  down  to  Pelle. 
"  Well,  it's  the  early  bird  that  catches  the  worm  !  You'll 
be  rich  one  of  these  days,  shoemaker  !  "  Pelle  laughed  ;  he 
was  rich ! 

He  thought  of  his  wife  and  children  while  he  worked. 
It  was  nice  to  think  of  them  sleeping  so  securely  while  he 
sat  here  at  work  ;  it  emphasised  the  fact  that  he  was  their 
breadwinner.  With  every  blow  of  his  hammer  the  home 
grew,  so  he  hammered  away  cheerfully.  They  were  poor, 
but  that  was  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  fact  that  if  he 
90 


DAYBREAK  91 

were  taken  away  now,  things  would  go  to  pieces.  He  was 
the  children's  Providence  ;  it  was  always  "  Father's  going 
to,"  or  "  Father  said  so."  In  their  eyes  he  was  infallible. 
Ellen  too  began  to  come  to  him  with  her  troubles  ;  she 
no  longer  kept  them  to  herself,  but  recognised  that  he  had 
the  broader  back. 

It  was  all  so  undeserved — as  if  good  spirits  were  working 
for  him.  Shameful  though  it  was  that  the  wife  should 
work  to  help  to  keep  the  family,  he  had  not  been  able  to 
exempt  her  from  it.  And  what  had  he  done  for  the 
children  ?  It  was  not  easy  to  build  everything  up  at  once 
from  a  bare  foundation,  and  he  was  sometimes  tempted 
to  leave  something  alone  so  as  to  accomplish  the  rest  the 
more  quickly.  As  it  was  now,  he  was  really  nothing  ! 
Neither  the  old  Pelle  nor  the  new,  but  something  inde- 
terminate, in  process  of  formation,  something  that  was 
greatly  in  need  of  indulgence  !  A  removing  van  full  of 
furniture  on  its  way  to  a  new  dwelling. 

He  often  enough  had  occasion  to  feel  this  from  outside  ; 
both  old  enemies  and  old  friends  looked  upon  him  as  a  man 
who  had  gone  very  much  down  in  the  world.  Their  look 
said :  "  Is  that  really  all  that  remains  of  that  stalwart 
fellow  we  once  knew  ?  "  His  own  people,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  lenient  in  their  judgment.  "  Father  hasn't  got 
time,"  Sister  would  say  in  explanation  to  herself  when  she 
was  playing  about  down  in  his  work-room — "  but  he  will 
have  some  day  !  "  And  then  she  would  picture  to  herself 
all  the  delightful  things  that  would  happen  then.  It 
affected  Pelle  strangely  ;  he  would  try  to  get  through  this 
as  quickly  as  possible. 

It  was  a  dark  and  pathless  continent  into  which  he  had 
ventured,  but  he  was  now  beginning  to  find  his  way  in  it. 
There  were  ridges  of  hills  that  constantly  repeated  them- 
selves, and  a  mountain-top  here  and  there  that  was  reached 


92  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

every  time  he  emerged  from  the  thicket.  It  was  good  to 
travel  there.  Perhaps  it  was  the  land  he  and  the  others 
had  looked  for.  When  he  had  got  through,  he  would  show 
it  to  them. 

Pelle  had  a  good  memory,  and  remembered  all  that  he 
read.  He  could  quote  much  of  it  verbatim,  and  in  the 
morning,  before  the  street  had  wakened,  he  used  to  go 
through  it  all  in  his  mind  while  he  worked.  It  surprised 
him  to  find  how  little  history  concerned  itself  with  his 
people  ;  it  was  only  in  quite  recent  times  that  they  had 
been  included.  Well,  that  did  not  trouble  him!  The 
movement  was  really  something  new,  and  not  one  of 
history's  everlasting  repetitions.  He  now  wanted  to  see 
its  idea  in  print,  and  one  day  found  him  sitting  with  a 
strange  solemnity  in  the  library  with  Marx  and  Henry 
George  in  front  of  him.  Pelle  knew  something  about  this 
subject  too,  but  this  was  nevertheless  like  drawing  up  a 
net  from  the  deep  ;  a  brilliant  world  of  wonders  came  up 
with  it.  There  were  incontrovertible  logical  proofs  that  he 
had  a  right  apprehension,  though  it  had  been  arrived  at 
blindly.  The  land  of  fortune  was  big  enough  for  all ;  the 
greater  the  number  that  entered  it,  the  larger  did  it  become. 
He  felt  a  desire  to  hit  out  again  and  strike  a  fresh  blow  for 
happiness  1 

Suddenly  an  avalanche  seemed  to  fall  from  the  top  to 
the  bottom  of  the  house,  a  brief,  all-pervading  storm  that 
brought  him  back  to  his  home.  It  was  only  Lasse  Fredrik 
ushering  in  the  day  ;  he  took  a  flight  at  each  leap,  called  a 
greeting  down  to  his  father,  and  dashed  off  to  his  work, 
buttoning  the  last  button  of  his  braces  as  he  ran.  A  little 
later  Ellen  came  down  with  coffee. 

"  Why  didn't  you  call  me  when  you  got  up  ?  "  she  said 
sulkily.  "It's  not  good  to  sit  working  so  long  without 
having  had  something  to  eat." 


DAYBREAK  93 

Pelle  laughed  and  kissed  her  good-morning.  "  Fine 
ladies  don't  get  up  until  long  after  their  husbands,"  he  said 
teasingly. 

But  Ellen  would  not  be  put  oft  with  a  jest.  A  proper 
wife  would  be  up  before  her  husband  and  have  something 
ready  for  him.  "  I  will  have  you  call  me  !  "  she  said 
decidedly,  her  cheeks  very  red.  It  suited  her  to  get  roused 
now  and  then. 

While  he  drank  his  coffee,  she  sat  and  talked  to  him 
about  her  affairs,  and  they  discussed  the  plans  for  the  day, 
after  which  she  went  upstairs  to  help  the  children  to 
dress. 

Later  in  the  morning  Pelle  laid  aside  his  work,  dressed 
himself  and  went  out  to  deliver  it.  While  he  was  out  he 
would  go  into  the  Library  and  look  up  something  in  the 
large  dictionaries. 

The  street  lived  its  own  quiet  life  here  close  up  to  the 
greater  thoroughfares — the  same  life  day  after  day.  The 
fat  second-hand  dealer  from  Jutland  was  standing  as  usual 
at  his  door,  smoking  his  wooden  pipe.  "  Good  morning, 
shoemaker  !  "  he  cried.  A  yellow,  oblique-eyed  oriental  in 
slippers  and  long  black  caftan  was  balancing  himself  care- 
lessly on  the  steps  of  the  basement  milk-shop  with  a  bowl 
of  cream  in  one  hand  and  a  loaf  of  bread  in  the  other. 
Above  on  the  pavement  two  boys  were  playing  hopscotch, 
just  below  the  large  red  lamp  which  all  night  long  adver- 
tised its  "  corn-operator  "  right  up  to  the  main  thorough- 
fare. Two  girls  in  cycling  costume  came  out  of  a  gateway 
with  their  machines ;  they  were  going  to  the  woods. 
"  Good-day,  Pelle  !  How  is  Ellen's  business  getting  on  ?  " 
they  asked  familiarly.  They  were  girls  for  whom  she  had 
washed. 

Pelle  was  fond  of  this  busy  part  of  the  town  where  new 
shops  with  large  plate-glass  windows  stood  side  by  side 


94  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

with  low-roofed  cottages  where  retail  business  was  carried 
on  behind  ordinary  windows  with  wallflowers  and  dahlias 
in  them,  as  they  might  be  in  any  provincial  town.  A  string 
was  stretched  above  the  flower-pots,  with  a  paper  of  safety- 
pins  or  a  bundle  of  shoe-laces  hanging  from  it.  There  were 
poor  people  enough  here,  but  life  did  not  run  in  such  hard 
grooves  as  out  at  Norrebro.  People  took  existence  more 
easily  ;  he  thought  them  less  honourable,  but  also  less  self- 
righteous.  They  seemed  to  be  endowed  with  a  more 
cheerful  temperament,  did  not  go  so  steadily  and  methodi- 
cally to  and  from  their  fixed  work,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
had  several  ways  of  making  a  living. 

There  was  everywhere  a  feeling  of  breaking  up,  which 
corresponded  well  with  Pelle's  own  condition ;  the  uncer- 
tainty of  life  enveloped  everything  in  a  peculiarly  tense 
atmosphere.  Poverty  did  not  come  marching  in  close 
columns  of  workmen ;  its  clothing  was  plentiful  and  varied;  it 
might  appear  in  the  last  woollen  material  from  the  big  houses 
of  old  Copenhagen,  or  in  gold-rimmed  spectacles  and  high  hat. 
Pelle  thought  he  knew  all  the  trades,  but  here  there  were 
hundreds  of  businesses  that  could  not  be  organised  ;  every 
day  he  discovered  new  and  remarkable  trades.  He  remem- 
bered how  difficult  it  had  been  to  organise  out  here  ;  life 
was  too  incalculable. 

There  was  room  here  for  everything  ;  next  door  to  one 
another  lived  people  whom  the  Movement  had  not  yet 
gathered  in,  and  people  who  had  been  pushed  up  out  of  it 
in  obstinate  defiance.  There  was  room  here  for  him  too  ; 
the  shadow  he  had  dreaded  did  not  follow  him.  The  people 
had  seen  too  much  of  life  to  interfere  in  one  another's 
affairs  ;  respectable  citizenship  had  not  been  able  to  take 
possession  of  the  poor  man.  There  was  something  of  the 
"  Ark  "  about  this  part  of  the  town,  only  not  its  hopeless- 
ness ;  on  the  contrary,  all  possibilities  were  to  be  found 


DAYBREAK  95 

here.  The  poor  man  had  conquered  this  ground  from  the 
rich  citizens,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  development  had  got 
its  direction  from  them.  Here  it  was  the  proletariat  whose 
varied  nature  forced  its  way  upwards,  and  leavened — so 
to  speak — the  whole.  In  the  long  side  streets  which  were 
full  of  second-hand  dealers  and  pawnbrokers,  existence  had 
not  resolved  itself  into  its  various  constituents.  Girls  and 
gamblers  were  next-door  neighbours  to  old,  peaceable 
townsfolk,  who  lived  soberly  on  the  interest  of  their  money, 
and  went  to  church  every  Sunday  with  their  hymn-books 
in  their  hands.  The  ironmonger  had  gold  watches  and 
antique  articles  among  the  lumber  in  his  cellar. 

Pelle  went  along  Vesterbro  Street.  The  summer  holidays 
were  just  over,  and  the  pavement  on  the  Figaro  side  was 
crowded  with  sunburnt  people — business-men,  students 
and  college  girls — who  were  conspicuous  in  the  throng  by 
their  high  spirits.  They  had  just  returned  to  town,  and 
still  had  the  scent  of  fresh  breeze  and  shore  about  them  : 
it  was  almost  as  good  as  a  walk  in  the  country.  And  if  he 
wanted  to  go  farther  out  into  the  world,  he  could  do  that 
too  ;  there  were  figures  enough  in  the  Vesterbro  neighbour- 
hood to  arrest  his  fancy  and  carry  him  forth.  It  was  like 
a  quay  on  which  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world  had 
agreed  to  meet — artists,  seamen  and  international  agents. 
Strange  women  came  sailing  through  the  crowd,  large, 
exotic,  like  hot-house  fruits ;  Pelle  recognised  them  from 
the  picture  of  the  second-hand  dealer's  daughter  in  the 
"  Ark,"  and  knew  that  they  belonged  to  the  international 
nursing  corps.  They  wore  striped  costumes,  and  their 
thick,  fair  hair  emitted  a  perfume  of  foreign  lands,  of  many 
ports  and  routes,  like  the  interior  of  steamers ;  and  their 
strong,  placid  faces  were  big  with  massage.  They 
floated  majestically  down  the  current  like  full-rigged  vessels. 
In  their  wake  followed  some  energetic  little  beings  who  also 


96  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

belonged  to  the  show,  and  had  decked  themselves  out  to 
look  like  children,  with  puffed  sleeves,  short  skirts,  and  hair 
tied  up  with  ribbons.  Feeble  old  men,  whom  the  sun  had 
enticed  out,  stood  in  silent  wonder,  following  the  lovely 
children  with  their  eyes. 

Pelle  felt  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  being  carried  along 
with  this  stream  which  flowed  like  life  itself,  broad  and 
calm.  The  world  was  greater  than  he  had  thought,  and 
he  took  no  side  for  or  against  anything,  but  merely  wondered 
over  its  variety. 

*  *  *  *  * 

He  came  home  from  the  library  at  two,  with  a  large 
volume  of  statistics  under  his  arm.  Ellen  received  him 
with  red  eyes. 

"  Have  your  lodgers  been  making  things  unpleasant  for 
you  again  ?  "  he  asked,  looking  into  her  face.  She  turned 
her  head  away. 

"  Did  you  get  the  money  for  your  work  ?  "  she  asked 
instead  of  answering. 

"  No,  the  man  wasn't  in  the  shop  himself.  They're 
coming  here  to  pay." 

"  Then  we  haven't  got  a  farthing,  and  I've  got  no  dinner 
for  you  !  "  She  tried  to  smile  as  she  spoke,  but  her  heavy 
eyelids  quivered. 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  said  Pelle,  putting  his  arm  round  her. 
"  Why  didn't  you  make  me  some  porridge  ?  I  should  have 
liked  a  good  plateful  of  that." 

"  I  have  made  it,  but  you'll  get  hardly  anything  else, 
and  that's  no  food  for  a  man." 

He  took  her  round  the  waist  with  both  hands,  lifted 
her  up  and  put  her  carefully  down  upon  the  kitchen  table. 
"  That's  porridge,  my  dear  !  "  he  said  merrily.  "  I  can 
hardly  walk,  I'm  so  strong  !  " 

But  there  was  no  smile  to  be  coaxed  out  of  Ellen  ;  some- 


DAYBREAK  97 

thing  had  happened  that  she  did  not  want  to  tell  him.  At 
last  he  got  out  of  her  that  the  two  musical  clowns  had  gone 
off  without  paying.  They  had  spoiled  her  good  bed-clothes 
by  lying  in  them  with  their  clothes  on,  and  had  made  them 
so  filthy  that  nothing  could  be  done  with  them.  She  was 
unwilling  to  tell  Pelle,  because  he  had  once  advised  her 
against  it ;  but  all  at  once  she  gave  in  completely.  "  You 
mustn't  laugh  at  me !  "  she  sobbed,  hiding  her  face  on  his 
shoulder. 

Pelle  attempted  to  comfort  her,  but  it  was  not  so  easily 
done.  It  was  not  the  one  misfortune  but  the  whole  fiasco 
that  had  upset  her  so  ;  she  had  promised  herself  so  much 
from  her  great  plan.  "  It  isn't  all  lost  yet,"  he  said  to 
comfort  her.  "  We'll  just  keep  on  and  you'll  see  it'll  be 
all  right." 

Ellen  was  not  to  be  hoodwinked,  however.  "  You  know 
you  don't  mean  it,"  she  said  angrily.  "  You  only  say  it 
because  of  me  !  And  the  second-hand  dealer  sent  up  word 
this  morning  that  if  he  didn't  soon  get  the  rest  of  his  money, 
he'd  take  all  the  furniture  back  again." 

"  Then  let  him  take  it.  and  that'll  be  an  end  of  the 
matter." 

"  But  then  we  shall  lose  all  that  we've  paid !  "  she 
exclaimed  quickly,  drying  her  eyes. 

Pelle  shrugged  his  shoulders.     "  That  can't  be  helped." 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  better  to  get  the  things  sold  little  by 
little  ?  We  only  owe  a  third  on  them." 

"  We  can't  do  that ;  it's  punishable.  We've  got  a 
contract  for  the  hire  of  the  furniture,  and  as  long  as  we 
owe  a  farthing  on  it,  it's  his.  But  we're  well  and  strong 
all  of  us  ;  what  does  it  matter  ?  " 

"  That's  true  enough,"  answered  Ellen,  trying  to  smile, 
"  but  the  stronger  we  are,  the  more  food  we  need.*' 

A  girl  came  running  up  with  a  pair  of  boots  that  were 

VOL.  IV.  H 


98  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

to  be  soled  as  quickly  as  possible.  They  were  "  Queen 
Theresa's,"  and  she  was  going  to  wear  them  in  the  evening. 
"  That'll  bring  us  in  a  few  pence  !  "  said  Ellen,  brightening. 
"  I'll  help  you  to  get  them  done  quickly." 

They  seated  themselves  one  on  each  side  of  the  counter, 
and  set  to  work.  It  reminded  them  of  the  early  days  of 
their  married  life.  Now  and  then  they  stopped  to  laugh, 
when  Ellen  had  forgotten  some  knack.  In  an  hour  and  a 
half  the  boots  were  ready,  and  Pelle  went  himself  with 
them  to  make  sure  of  the  money. 

"  You'll  most  likely  find  her  in  the  tavern,"  said  Ellen. 
"  The  artistes  generally  have  their  dinner  at  this  hour,  and 
she's  probably  there." 

It  was  a  busy  time  in  the  aitistes'  restaurant.  At  the 
small  tables  sat  bony,  close-cropped  men  of  a  peculiar 
rubicund  type,  having  dinner  with  some  girl  or  other  from 
the  neighbourhood.  They  were  acrobats,  clowns,  and 
wrestlers,  people  of  a  homogeneous  type,  dressed  in  loud 
checks,  with  enormous  cuffs  and  boots  with  almost  armour- 
plated  toes.  They  chewed  well  and  looked  up  stupidly  at 
the  call  of  the  girls  ;  they  wore  a  hard,  brutal  mask  for  a 
face,  and  big  diamond  rings  on  their  fingers.  Some  of  them 
had  such  a  powerful  lower  jaw,  that  they  looked  as  if  they 
had  developed  it  for  the  purpose  of  taking  blows  in  a  boxing- 
match.  In  the  adjoining  room  some  elegant  young  men 
were  playing  billiards  while  they  secretly  kept  an  eye  on 
what  was  going  on  at  the  tables.  They  had  curls  on  their 
orehead,  and  patent  leather  shoes. 

"  Queen  Theresa  "  was  not  there,  so  Pelle  went  to 
Dannebrog  Street  where  she  lived,  but  found  she  was  not 
at  home.  He  had  to  hand  in  the  boots  to  a  neighbour,  and 
go  back  empty-handed. 

Well,  it  was  no  more  than  might  have  been  expected. 
When  you  needed  a  thing  most,  chance  played  with  you 


DAYBREAK  99 

as  a  cat  played  with  a  mouse.  Pelle  was  not  nearly  so 
cheerful  as  he  appeared  to  be  when  he  faced  Ellen.  The 
reality  was  beginning  to  affect  him.  He  went  out  to 
Morten,  but  without  any  faith  in  the  result ;  Morten  had 
many  uses  for  what  he  earned. 

"  You've  just  come  at  the  right  moment  !  "said  Morten, 
waving  two  notes  in  the  air.  "  I've  just  had  twenty 
krones  (a  guinea)  sent  me  from  the  '  Working  Man,'  and  we 
can  divide  them.  It's  the  first  money  I've  got  from  that 
quarter,  so  of  course  I've  spat  upon  it  three  times." 

"Then  they've  found  their  way  to  you  after  all," 
exclaimed  Pelle  joyfully. 

Morten  laughed.  "  I  got  tired  of  seeing  my  work 
repeated  in  their  paper,"  he  said,  "when  they'll  have 
nothing  to  do  with  me  up  there  ;  and  I  went  up  to  them 
and  drew  their  attention  to  the  paragraph  about  piracy. 
You  should  have  seen  their  expression  !  Goodness  knows 
it's  not  pleasant  to  have  to  earn  your  bread  on  wretchedness 
so  to  speak,  but  it's  still  more  painful  when  afterwards  you 
have  to  beg  for  your  hard-earned  pence.  You  mustn't 
think  I  should  do  it  either  under  other  circumstances  ;  I'd 
sooner  starve  ;  but  at  any  rate  I  won't  be  sweated  by  my 
own  side  !  It's  a  long  time  since  you  were  here." 

"  I've  been  so  busy.  How's  Johanna  ?  "  The  last 
words  were  spoken  in  a  whisper. 

"  Not  well  just  now ;  she's  keeping  her  bed.  She's 
always  asking  after  you." 

"  I've  been  very  busy  lately,  and  unfortunately  I  can't 
find  out  anything  about  her.  Is  she  just  as  cross  ?  " 

"  When  she's  in  a  bad  temper  she  lets  me  understand 
that  she  could  easily  help  to  put  us  on  the  right  track  if 
she  wanted  to.  I  think  it  amuses  her  to  see  us  fooled." 

"  A  child  can't  be  so  knowing  !  " 

"  Don't  be  so  sure  of  that !     Remember  she's  not  a 


ioo  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

child  ;  her  experiences  have  been  too  terrible.  I  have  an 
idea  that  she  hates  me  and  only  meditates  on  the  mischief 
she  can  do  me.  You  can't  imagine  how  spiteful  she  can 
be  ;  it's  as  though  the  exhalations  from  down  there  had 
turned  to  poison  in  her.  If  any  one  comes  here  that  she 
notices  I  like,  she  reviles  them  as  soon  as  they're  gone, 
says  some  poisonous  thing  about  them  in  order  to  wound 
me.  You're  the  only  one  she  spares,  so  I  think  there  must 
be  some  secret  link  between  you.  Try  to  press  her  on  the 
subject  once  more." 

They  went  in  to  her.  As  the  door  opened  she  slipped 
hastily  down  beneath  the  clothes — she  had  been  listening 
at  the  door — and  pretended  to  be  asleep.  Morten  went  back 
to  his  work  and  closed  the  door  after  him. 

"  Well,  Johanna,"  said  Pelle,  seating  himself  on  the 
edge  of  the  bed.  "  I've  got  a  message  for  you.  Can  you 
guess  who  it's  from  ?  " 

"  From  grandmother !  "  she  exclaimed,  sitting  up 
eagerly  ;  but  the  next  moment  she  was  ashamed  at  having 
been  outwitted,  and  crept  down  under  the  clothes,  where 
she  lay  with  compressed  lips,  and  stole  distrustful  glances 
at  Pelle.  There  was  something  in  the  glance  and  the 
carriage  of  her  head  that  awakened  dormant  memories  in 
him,  but  he  could  not  fix  them. 

"  No,  not  grandmother,"  he  said.  "  By-the-bye,  where 
is  she  now  ?  I  should  like  to  speak  to  her.  Couldn't 
you  go  out  to  her  with  me  when  you  get  well  ?  " 

She  looked  at  him  with  sparkling  eyes  and  a  mocking 
expression.  "  Don't  you  wish  you  may  get  it !  "  she 
answered. 

"  Tell  me  where  she  lives,  Johanna,"  Pelle  went  on, 
taking  her  thin  hand  in  his,  "  there's  a  good  girl !  " 

"  Oh  yes,  at  night  1  " 

Pelle  frowned.    "  You  must  be  very  heartless,  when 


DAYBREAK  101 

you  can  leave  your  old  grandmother  and  not  even  like 
others  to  help  her.  I'm  certain  she's  in  want  somewhere 
or  other." 

Johanna  looked  at  him  angrily.  "  I  whipped  her  too," 
she  exclaimed  malignantly,  and  then  burst  into  a  laugh  at 
Pelle's  expression.  "  No,  I  didn't  really,"  she  said  re- 
assuringly. "  I  only  took  away  her  stick  and  hid  her 
spectacles  so  that  she  couldn't  go  out  and  fetch  the  cream. 
So  she  was  obliged  to  send  me,  and  I  drank  up  all  the  cream 
and  put  water  in  the  can.  She  couldn't  see  it,  so  she 
scolded  the  milk  people  because  they  cheated." 

"  You're  making  all  this  up,  I  think,"  said  Pelle  un- 
certainly. 

"  I  picked  the  crumb  out  of  the  loaf  too,  and  let  her 
eat  the  crust,"  Johanna  continued  with  a  nod. 

"  Now  stop  that,"  said  Pelle,  stroking  her  damp  forehead. 
"  I  know  quite  well  that  I've  offended  you." 

She  pushed  away  his  hand  angrily.  "  Do  you  know 
what  I  wish  ?  "  she  said  suddenly.  "  I  wish  you  were  my 
father." 

"  Would  you  like  me  to  be  ?" 

"  Yes,  for  when  you  became  quite  poor  and  ill,  I'd  treat 
you  just  as  well  as  I've  treated  grandmother."  She 
laughed  a  harsh  laugh. 

"  I'm  certain  you've  only  been  kind  to  grandmother," 
said  Pelle  gravely. 

She  looked  hard  at  him  to  see  whether  he  meant  this 
too,  and  then  turned  her  face  to  the  wall.  He  could  see 
from  the  curve  of  her  body  that  she  was  struggling  to  keep 
back  her  tears,  and  he  tried  to  turn  her  round  to  him  ;  but 
she  stiffened  herself. 

"  I  won't  live  with  grandmother ! "  she  whispered 
emphatically,  "  I  won't !  " 

"  And  yet  you're  fond  of  her  !  " 


102  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  No,  I'm  not !  I  can't  bear  her  !  She  told  the  woman 
next  door  that  I  was  only  in  the  way  !  It  was  that  con- 
founded child's  fault  that  she  couldn't  get  into  the  Home, 
she  said  ;  I  heard  her  myself  !  And  yet  I  went  about  and 
begged  aU  the  food  for  her.  But  then  I  left  her !  "  She 
jerked  the  sentences  out  in  a  voice  that  was  quite  hoarse, 
and  crumpled  the  sheet  up  in  her  hands. 

"  But  do  tell  me  where  she  is !  "  said  Pelle  earnestly. 
"  I  promise  you  you  shan't  go  to  her  if  you  don't  want  to." 

The  child  kept  a  stubborn  silence.  She  did  not  believe 
in  promises. 

"  Well  then,  I  must  go  to  the  police  to  find  her,  but  I 
don't  want  to  do  that." 

"  No,  because  you've  been  in  prison  !  "  she  exclaimed 
with  a  short  laugh. 

A  pained  expression  passed  over  Pelle 's  face.  "  Do  you 
think  that's  so  funny  ?  "  he  said,  winking  his  eyes  fast. 
"  I'm  sure  grandmother  didn't  laugh  at  it." 

Johanna  turned  half  round.  "  No,  she  cried  !  "  she 
said.  "  There  was  no  one  to  give  us  food  then,  and  so  she 
cried." 

It  began  to  dawn  upon  him  who  she  was.  "  What 
became  of  you  two  that  day  on  the  common  ?  We  were 
going  to  have  dinner  together,"  he  said. 

"  When  you  were  taken  up  ?  Oh,  we  couldn't  find  you, 
so  we  just  went  home."  Her  face  was  now  quite  uncovered, 
and  she  lay  looking  at  him  with  her  large  grey  eyes.  It 
was  Hanne's  look  ;  behind  it  was  the  same  wondering  over 
life,  but  here  was  added  to  it  a  terrible  knowledge.  Sud- 
denly her  face  changed  ;  she  discovered  that  she  had  been 
outwitted,  and  glared  at  him. 

"Is  it  true  that  you  and  mother  were  once  sweet- 
hearts ?  "  she  suddenly  asked  mischievously. 

Pelle's  face  flushed.    The  question  had  taken  him  by 


DAYBREAK  103 

surprise.  "  I'll  tell  you  everything  about  your  mother  if 
you'll  tell  me  what  you  know,"  he  said,  looking  straight 
at  her. 

"  What  is  it  you  want  to  know  ?  "  she  asked  in  a  cross- 
questioning  tone.  "  Are  you  going  to  write  about  me  in 
the  papers  ?  " 

"  My  dear  child,  we  must  find  your  grandmother ! 
She  may  be  starving." 

"I  think  she's  at  the  'Generality,'"  said  the  child 
quietly.  "  I  went  there  on  Thursday  when  the  old  things 
had  leave  to  go  out  and  beg  for  a  little  coffee ;  and  one 
day  I  saw  her." 

"  Didn't  you  go  up  to  her  then  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  was  tired  of  listening  to  her  lamentations  !  " 

Johanna  was  no  longer  stiff  and  defiant.  She  lay  with 
her  face  turned  away  and  answered — a  little  suUenly — 
Pelle's  questions,  while  she  played  nervously  with  his 
fingers.  Her  brief  answers  made  up  for  him  one  connected, 
sad  story. 

Widow  Johnsen  was  not  worth  much  when  once  the 
"  Ark  "  was  burnt  down.  She  felt  old  and  helpless  every- 
where else,  and  when  Pelle  went  to  prison,  she  collapsed 
entirely.  She  and  the  little  girl  suffered  want,  and  when 
Johanna  felt  herself  in  the  way,  she  ran  away  to  a  place 
where  she  could  be  comfortable.  Her  grandmother  had 
also  been  in  her  way.  She  had  her  mother's  whimsical, 
dreamy  nature,  and  now  she  gave  up  everything  and  ran 
away  to  meet  the  wonderful.  An  older  playfellow  seduced 
her  and  took  her  out  to  the  boys  of  the  timber-yard.  There 
she  was  left  to  take  care  of  herself,  often  slept  out  in  the 
open,  and  stole  now  and  then,  but  soon  learned  to  earn 
money  for  herself.  When  it  became  cold  she  went  as 
scullery-maid  to  the  inns  or  maid-of-all-work  to  the  women 
in  Dannebrog  Street.  Strange  to  say  she  always  eluded 


104  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

the  police.  At  first  there  were  two  or  three  times  when 
she  started  to  return  to  her  grandmother,  but  went  no 
farther  than  the  stairs  ;  she  was  afraid  of  being  punished, 
and  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  having  to  listen  to  the 
old  lady's  complaints.  Later  on  she  became  accustomed 
to  her  new  way  of  living,  and  no  longer  felt  any  desire 
to  leave  it,  probably  because  she  had  begun  to  take  strong 
drink.  Now  and  again,  however,  she  stole  in  to  the  Home 
and  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  grandmother.  She  could  not 
explain  why  she  did  it,  and  firmly  maintained  that  she 
could  not  endure  her.  The  old  woman's  unreasonable 
complaint  that  she  was  an  encumbrance  to  her  had  eaten 
deeply  into  the  child's  mind.  During  the  last  year  she 
had  been  a  waitress  for  some  time  at  a  sailors'  tavern  down 
in  Nyhavn  with  an  innkeeper  Elleby,  the  confidence-man 
who  had  fleeced  Pelle  on  his  first  arrival  in  the  city.  It 
was  Elleby 's  custom  to  adopt  young  girls  so  as  to  evade 
the  law  and  have  women-servants  for  his  sailors  ;  and  they 
generally  died  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  :  he  always 
wore  a  crape  band  round  his  sleeve.  Johanna  was  also 
to  have  been  adopted,  but  ran  away  in  time. 

She  slowly  confessed  it  all  to  Pelle,  coarse  and  horrible 
as  it  was,  with  the  instinctive  confidence  that  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  "  Ark  "  had  placed  in  him,  and  which  had  been 
inherited  by  her  from  her  mother  and  grandmother.  What 
an  abyss  of  horrors  !  And  he  had  been  thinking  that  there 
was  no  hurry,  that  life  was  richer  than  that !  But  the 
children,  the  children  !  Were  they  to  wait  too,  while  he 
surveyed  the  varied  forms  of  existence — wait  and  go  to 
ruin  ?  Was  there  on  the  whole  any  need  of  knowledge  and 
comprehensiveness  of  survey  in  order  to  fight  for  juster 
conditions  ?  Was  anything  necessary  beyond  the  state  of 
being  good  ?  While  he  sat  and  read  books,  children  were 
perhaps  being  trodden  down  by  thousands.  Did  this  also 


DAYBREAK  105 

belong  to  life  and  require  caution  ?  For  the  first  time  he 
doubted  himself. 

"  Now  you  must  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep,"  he  said 
gently  and  stroked  her  forehead.  It  was  burning  hot  and 
throbbed,  and  alarmed  he  felt  her  pulse.  Her  hand  dropped 
into  his,  thin  and  worn,  and  her  pulse  was  irregular.  Alas, 
Hanne's  fever  was  raging  within  her  ! 

She  held  his  hand  tight  when  he  rose  to  go.  "  Were  you 
and  mother  sweethearts  then  ?  "  she  asked  in  a  whisper, 
with  a  look  of  expectation  in  the  bright  eyes  that  she  fixed 
upon  him.  And  suddenly  he  understood  the  reiterated 
question  and  all  her  strange  compliance  with  his  wishes. 

For  a  moment  he  looked  waveringly  into  her  expectant 
eyes.  Then  he  nodded  slowly.  "  Yes,  Johanna  ;  you're 
my  little  daughter !  "  he  said,  bending  down  over  her. 
Her  pale  face  was  lighted  with  a  faint  smile,  and  she  shyly 
touched  his  stubbly  chin  and  then  turned  over  to  go  to 
sleep. 

In  a  few  words  Pelle  told  Morten  the  child's  previous 
history — Madam  Johnsen  and  her  husband's  vain  fight  to 
get  on,  his  horrible  death  in  the  sewer,  how  Hanne  had 
grown  up  as  the  beautiful  princess  of  the  "  Ark  " — Hanne 
who  meant  to  have  happiness,  and  had  instead  this  poor 
child ! 

"  You've  never  told  me  anything  about  Hanne,"  said 
Morten,  looking  at  him. 

"  No,"  said  Pelle  slowly.  "  She  was  always  so  strangely 
unreal  to  me,  like  an  all  too  beautiful  dream.  Do  you  know 
she  danced  herself  to  death  !  But  you  must  pretend  to  the 
child  that  I'm  her  father." 

Morten  nodded.  "  You  might  go  out  to  the  Home  for 
me,  and  hear  about  the  old  lady.  It's  a  pity  she  should 
have  to  spend  her  old  age  there  !  "  He  looked  round  the 
room. 


io6  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  You  can't  have  her  here,  however,"  said  Pelle. 

"  It  might  perhaps  be  arranged.  She  and  the  child 
belong  to  one  another." 

Pelle  first  went  home  to  Ellen  with  the  money  and  then 
out  to  the  Home. 

Madam  Johnsen  was  in  the  infirmary,  and  could  not 
live  many  days.  It  was  a  little  while  before  she  recognised 
Pelle,  and  she  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the  past.  It  made 
no  impression  whatever  on  her  when  he  told  her  that  her 
grandchild  had  been  found.  She  lay  most  of  the  time, 
talking  unintelligibly  ;  she  thought  she  still  had  to  get 
money  for  the  rent  and  for  food  for  herself  and  the  child. 
The  troubles  of  old  age  had  made  an  indelible  impression 
upon  her.  "  She  gets  no  pleasure  out  of  lying  here  and 
being  comfortable,"  said  an  old  woman  who  lay  in  the 
next  bed  to  hers.  "  She's  always  trying  and  trying  to  get 
things,  and  when  she's  free  of  that,  she  goes  to  Jutland." 

At  the  sound  of  the  last  word,  Madam  Johnsen  fixed 
her  eyes  upon  Pelle.  "  I  should  so  like  to  see  Jutland 
again  before  I  die,"  she  said.  "  Ever  since  I  came  over 
here  in  my  young  days,  I've  always  meant  to  use  the  first 
money  I  had  over  on  an  excursion  home  ;  but  I  never 
managed  it.  Hanne's  child  had  to  live  too,  and  they  eat  a 
lot  at  her  age."  And  so  she  was  back  in  her  troubles  again. 

The  nurse  came  and  told  Pelle  that  he  must  go  now, 
and  he  rose  and  bent  over  the  old  woman  to  say  farewell, 
strangely  moved  at  the  thought  that  she  had  done  so  much 
for  him,  and  now  scarcely  knew  him.  She  felt  for  his  hand 
and  held  it  in  both  hers  like  a  blind  person  trying  to 
recognise,  and  she  looked  at  him  with  her  expressionless 
eyes  that  were  already  dimmed  by  approaching  death. 
"  You  still  have  a  good  hand,"  she  said  slowly,  with  the 
far-sounding  voice  of  old  age.  "  Hanne  should  have  taken 
you,  and  then  things  would  have  been  very  different." 


VII 

PEOPLE  wondered,  at  the  library,  over  the  grave,  silent 
working-man  who  took  hold  of  books  as  if  they  were  bricks. 
They  liked  him  and  helped  him  to  find  what  he  wanted. 

Among  the  staff  there  was  an  old  librarian  who  often 
came  and  asked  Pelle  if  there  were  anything  he  could  help 
him  with.  He  was  a  little  wizened  man  with  gold  spectacles 
and  thin  white  hair  and  beard  that  gave  a  smiling  expres- 
sion to  his  pale  face.  He  had  spent  his  time  among  the 
stacks  of  books  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  ;  the  dust 
of  the  books  had  attacked  his  chest,  and  every  minute  his 
dry  cough  sounded  through  the  room. 

Librarian  Brun  was  a  bachelor  and  was  said  to  be  very 
rich.  He  was  not  particularly  neat  or  careful  in  his  dress, 
but  there  was  something  unspoiled  about  his  person  that 
made  one  think  he  could  never  have  been  subjected  to  the 
world's  rough  handling.  In  his  writings  he  was  a  fanatical 
worshipper  of  the  ego,  and  held  up  the  law  of  conscience 
as  the  only  one  to  which  men  should  be  subject.  Personally 
he  was  reserved  and  shy,  but  something  drew  him  to  Pelle, 
who,  he  knew,  had  once  been  the  soul  in  the  raising  of  the 
masses ;  and  he  followed  with  wonder  and  curiosity  the 
development  of  the  new  working-man.  Now  and  then  he 
brought  one  of  his  essays  to  Pelle  and  asked  him  to  read  it. 
It  often  treated  of  the  nature  of  personality,  took  as  its 
starting-point  the  ego  of  some  philosopher  or  other,  or  of 
such  and  such  a  religion,  and  attempted  to  get  at  the 
107 


io8  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

questions  of  the  day.  They  conversed  in  whispers  on  the 
subject.  The  old,  easily-approached  philosopher,  who  was 
read  by  very  few,  cherished  an  unrequited  affection  for 
the  general  public,  and  listened  eagerly  to  what  a  working- 
man  might  be  able  to  make  out  of  his  ideas.  Quiet  and 
almost  timid  though  his  manner  was,  his  views  were  strong, 
and  he  did  not  flinch  from  the  thought  of  employing  violent 
measures  ;  but  his  attitude  towards  the  raising  of  the  lower 
classes  was  sceptical.  "  They  don't  know  how  to  read," 
he  said.  "  The  common  people  never  touch  a  real  book." 
He  had  lived  so  long  among  books  that  he  thought  the  truths 
of  life  were  hidden  away  in  them. 

They  gradually  became  well  acquainted  with  one  another. 
Brun  was  the  last  descendant  of  an  old,  decayed  family, 
which  had  been  rich  for  many  generations.  He  despised 
money,  and  did  not  consider  it  to  be  one  of  the  valuable 
things  of  life.  Never  having  known  want,  he  had  few 
pretensions,  and  often  denied  himself  to  help  others.  It 
was  said  that  he  lived  in  a  very  Spartan  fashion,  and  used 
a  large  proportion  of  his  income  for  the  relief  of  the 
poor.  On  many  points  he  agreed  with  the  lower  classes, 
not  only  theoretically  but  purely  organically ;  and  Pelle 
saw,  to  his  amazement,  that  the  dissolution  of  existing 
conditions  could  also  take  place  from  the  upper  grades 
of  society.  Perhaps  the  future  was  preparing  itself  at  both 
extremities  ! 

One  day  Brun  carefully  led  the  conversation  on  to 
Pelle 's  private  affairs  :  he  seemed  to  know  something  about 
them.  "  Isn't  there  anything  you  want  to  start  ?  "  he 
asked.  "  I  should  be  so  glad  if  you  would  allow  me  to 
help  you." 

Pelle  was  not  yet  clear  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  about 
the  future.  "At  present,"  he  said,  "the  whole  thing  is 
just  a  chaos  to  me." 


DAYBREAK  109 

"  But  you  must  live  !  Will  you  do  me  the  favour  of 
taking  a  loan  from  me  at  any  rate,  while  you're  looking 
about  you.  Money  is  necessary  to  make  one  capable  and 
free,"  he  continued,  when  Pelle  refused  it.  "  It's  a  pity, 
but  so  it  is.  You  don't  take  what  you  want  anyhow,  so 
you  must  either  get  the  money  in  the  way  that  offers,  or 
do  without." 

"  Then  I'll  do  without,"  said  Pelle. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that's  what  you  and  yours  have  always 
done,  and  have  you  ever  succeeded  in  heaping  coals  of  fire 
on  the  head  of  society  by  it  ?  You  set  too  high  a  value 
upon  money  ;  the  common  people  have  too  great  respect 
for  the  property  of  others.  And  upon  my  word  it's  true  ! 
The  good  old  poor  man  could  scarcely  find  it  in  his  heart 
to  put  anything  into  his  own  miserable  mouth ;  his  wife 
was  to  have  all  the  good  pieces.  So  he  is  mourned  as  lost 
to  our  side  ;  he  was  so  easy  to  get  wealth  by.  His  progeny 
still  go  about  with  a  good  deal  of  it." 

"  Money  makes  you  dependent,"  Pelle  objected. 

"  Not  always,"  answered  Brun  laughing.  "  In  my 
world  people  borrow  and  take  on  credit  without  a  thought  : 
the  greater  the  debt,  the  better  it  is ;  they  never  treat  a 
man  worse  than  when  they  owe  him  money.  On  that  point 
we  are  very  much  more  emancipated  than  you  are,  indeed 
that's  where  the  dividing  line  goes  between  the  upper 
classes  and  the  common  people.  This  fear  of  becoming 
indebted  to  any  one,  and  carefulness  to  do  two  services  in 
return  for  one,  is  all  very  nice  and  profitable  in  your  own 
world  ;  but  it's  what  you'll  be  run  down  by  in  your  relations 
to  us.  We  don't  know  it  at  all ;  how  otherwise  would 
those  people  get  on  who  have  to  let  themselves  be  helped 
from  their  cradle  to  their  grave,  and  live  exclusively  upon 
services  received  ?  " 

Pelle  looked  at  him  in  bewilderment.     "  Poor  people 


no  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

have  nothing  but  their  sense  of  honour,  and  so  they  watch 
over  it,"  he  said. 

"  And  you've  really  never  halted  at  this  sense  of  honour 
that  works  so  splendidly  in  our  favour  ?  "  asked  Brun  in 
surprise.  "  Just  examine  the  existing  morals,  and  you'll 
discover  that  they  must  have  been  invented  by  us — for 
your  use.  Yes,  you're  surprised  to  hear  me  say  that,  but 
then  I'm  a  degenerate  upper-class  man,  one  of  those  who 
fall  outside  the  established  order  of  things.  I  saw  your 
amazement  at  my  not  having  patted  you  on  the  shoulder 
and  said :  '  Poor  but  proud  !  Go  on  being  so,  young 
man ! '  But  you  mustn't  draw  too  far-reaching  con- 
clusions from  that ;  as  I  told  you,  I'm  not  that  sort.  Now 
mayn't  I  give  you  a  helping  hand  ?  " 

No,  Pelle  was  quite  determined  he  should  not.  Some- 
thing had  been  shattered  within  him,  and  the  knowledge 
made  him  restive. 

"  You're  an  obstinate  plebeian,"  said  Brun,  half  vexed. 

On  his  way  home  Pelle  thought  it  all  over.  Of  course 
he  had  always  been  quite  aware  that  the  whole  thing 
resembled  a  gentleman's  carriage,  in  which  he  and  others 
like  him  had  to  be  the  horses  ;  the  laws  and  general 
arrangement  were  the  reins  and  harness,  which  made  them 
draw  the  carriage  well.  The  only  thing  was  that  it  was 
always  denied  from  the  other  side  ;  he  was  toiling  at  history 
and  statistics  in  order  to  furnish  incontrovertible  proof  of 
this.  But  here  was  some  one  who  sat  in  the  carriage  him- 
self, and  gave  evidence  to  the  effect  that  it  was  right 
enough ;  and  this  was  not  a  book,  but  a  living  man  with 
whom  he  stood  face  to  face.  It  gave  an  immense  support 
to  his  belief. 

There  was  need  enough  for  it  too,  for  at  home  things 
were  going  badly.  The  letting  of  rooms  was  at  a  standstill, 
and  Ellen  was  selling  the  furniture  as  fast  as  she  could. 


DAYBREAK  HI 

"  It's  all  the  same  to  me  what  the  law  is  !  "  was  her  reply 
to  Pelle's  warnings.  "There  surely  can  be  no  sense  in 
our  having  to  make  the  furniture-dealer  a  present  of  all 
we've  paid  upon  it,  just  because  he  has  a  scrap  of  paper 
against  us.  When  the  furniture's  sold,  he  shall  have  the 
rest  of  what  we  owe  him." 

He  did  not  get  the  whole,  however,  for  in  the  first  place 
they  had  to  live.  The  remainder  of  the  debt  hung  like  a 
threat  over  them  ;  if  he  discovered  that  the  furniture  was 
sold,  it  might  end  badly  for  them.  "  Remember  I've  been 
in  prison  before,"  said  Pelle. 

"  They  surely  can't  punish  you  for  what  I've  done  ?  " 
said  Ellen,  looking  at  him  in  terror.  "  Pelle,  Pelle,  what 
have  I  done !  Why  didn't  I  do  what  you  told  me  !  " 
For  a  time  she  collapsed,  but  then  suddenly  rose  energeti- 
cally, saying  :  "  Then  we  must  get  it  paid  at  once.  It's 
surely  possible  to  find  twenty  krones  (a  guinea)  !  "  And 
hastening  up  to  their  flat,  she  quickly  returned  in  her  hat 
and  jacket. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  asked  Pelle  in  amazement. 

"  What  am  I  going  to  do  ?  I'm  going  to  '  Queen 
Theresa.'  She  can  get  it !  Don't  be  afraid !  "  she  said, 
bending  down  and  kissing  him.  She  soon  returned  with 
the  money.  "  I  may  pay  it  back  by  washing,"  she  said 
cheerfully. 

So  that  matter  was  settled,  and  they  would  have  been 
glad  if  the  loan  had  been  the  same.  It  scarcely  moved, 
however ;  the  instalments  ate  themselves  up  in  some 
wonderful  way.  Two  or  three  times  they  had  had  to  ask 
for  a  postponement,  and  each  time  the  usurer  added  the 
amount  of  the  instalment  to  the  sum  still  owing ;  he 
called  it  punishment  interest. 

Pelle  read  seldom  ;  he  felt  no  wish  to  do  so.  He  was 
out  early  and  late  looking  for  a  job.  He  fetched  and  took 


H2  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

back  furniture  in  the  town  for  the  second-hand  dealer,  and 
did  anything  else  that  came  to  hand. 

One  evening  Ellen  came  up  with  a  newspaper  cutting 
that  "  Queen  Theresa  "  had  sent  her,  an  advertisement  of 
a  good,  well-paid  situation  for  a  trustworthy  man,  who  had 
been  trained  as  a  shoemaker.  "  It's  this  morning's,"  said 
Ellen  anxiously,  "  so  I  only  hope  it  isn't  too  late.  You 
must  go  out  there  at  once."  She  took  out  Pelle's  Sunday 
clothes  quickly,  and  helped  him  to  make  himself  tidy. 
It  was  for  a  boot-factory  in  Borger  Street.  Pelle  took  the 
tram  in  order  to  get  there  quickly,  but  he  had  no  great 
hopes  of  getting  the  place.  The  manufacturer  was  one  of 
his  most  bitter  opponents  among  the  employers  at  the  time 
when  he  was  organising  the  trade — a  young  master-shoe- 
maker who  had  had  the  good  sense  to  follow  the  develop- 
ment and  take  the  leap  over  to  manufacturer. 

"  Oh,  it's  you,  is  it  ?  "  he  said.  "  Well,  well,  old  differ- 
ences shan't  stand  between  us  if  we  can  come  to  an  agree- 
ment in  other  ways.  What  I  want  is  a  man  who'll  look  a 
little  after  everything,  a  kind  of  right-hand  man  who  can 
take  something  off  my  shoulders  in  a  general  way,  and 
superintend  the  whole  thing  when  I'm  travelling.  I  think 
you'll  do  capitally  for  that,  for  you've  got  influence  with 
the  men  ;  and  I'd  like  things  to  go  nicely  and  smoothly 
with  them,  without  giving  in  to  them  too  much,  you 
understand.  One  may  just  as  well  do  things  pleasantly ; 
it  doesn't  cost  an  atom  more  according  to  my  experience, 
and  now  one  belongs  to  the  party  one's  self." 

"  Do  you  ?  "  said  Pelle,  hardly  able  to  believe  his  ears. 

"  Yes !  Why  shouldn't  an  employer  be  a  fellow- 
partisan  ?  There's  nothing  to  be  afraid  of  when  once 
you've  peeped  in  behind  the  scenes  ;  and  it  has  its  advan- 
tages, of  course.  In  ten  years'  time  every  sensible  man 
will  be  a  social  democrat." 


DAYBREAK  113 

"  That's  not  at  all  unlikely,"  said  Pelle,  laughing. 

"  No,  is  it !  So  one  evening  I  said  to  my  wife  :  '  I  say, 
you  know  it  won't  do  soon  to  own  that  you  don't  belong 
to  the  party  ;  in  other  countries  millionaires  and  counts 
and  barons  already  belong  to  it.'  She  didn't  quite  like  it, 
but  now  she's  quite  satisfied.  They're  quite  nice  people, 
as  she  said  herself.  There  are  even  persons  of  rank  among 
them.  Well,  it  wasn't  conviction  that  drove  me  at  first, 
but  now  I  agree  because  what  they  say's  very  sensible. 
And  upon  my  word  it's  the  only  party  that  can  thrash  the 
anarchists  properly,  don't  you  think  so  ?  In  my  opinion 
all  should  unite  in  fighting  against  them,  and  that'll  be  the 
end  of  it,  I  suppose.  I've  reflected  a  good  deal  upon  politics 
and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  we  employers  behaved 
like  asses  from  the  beginning.  We  oughtn't  to  have 
struggled  against  the  movement ;  it  only  drove  it  to 
extremes.  Just  see  how  well-behaved  it's  become  since  we 
began  to  take  off  our  hats  to  it !  You  become  what  you're 
treated  as,  let  me  tell  you.  You  wouldn't  have  acted  so 
harshly  if  we  others  had  been  a  little  kinder  to  you.  Don't 
you  allow  that  ?  You're  exactly  like  every  one  else  ;  you 
want  to  have  good  food  and  nice  clothes — be  considered 
respectable  people.  So  it  was  wise  to  cut  off  the  lower  end  ; 
you  can't  rise  when  you've  too  much  lumber  as  ballast. 
Fellows  who  pull  up  paving-stones  and  knock  you  down 
are  no  company  for  me.  You  must  have  patience  and  wait 
until  the  turn  comes  to  your  party  to  come  in  for  a  share  : 
those  are  my  politics.  Well,  what  do  you  think  about  the 
job  ?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  the  machines,"  said  Pelle. 

"  You'll  soon  get  into  that !    But  it's  not  that  that 

matters,  if  only  you  know  how  to  treat  the  workmen,  and 

that  of  course  you  do.    I'll  pay  you  thirty-five  krones  (£2) 

a  week — that's  a  good  weekly  wage — and  in  return  you'll 

VOL.  iv.  I 


114  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

have  an  eye  to  my  advantage  of  course.  One  doesn't  join 
the  party  to  be  bled — you  understand  what  I  mean  ? 
Then  you  get  a  free  house — in  the  front  building  of  course — 
so  as  to  be  a  kind  of  vice-landlord  for  the  back  building 
here  ;  there  are  three  stairs  with  one-roomed  flats.  I  can't 
be  bothered  having  anything  to  do  with  that ;  there's  so 
much  nonsense  about  the  mob.  They  do  damage  and 
don't  pay  if  they  can  help  it,  and  when  you're  a  little  firm 
with  them  they  fly  to  the  papers  and  write  spiteful  letters. 
Of  course  I  don't  run  much  risk  of  that,  but  all  the  same 
I  like  things  to  go  smoothly,  partly  because  I  aspire  to 
become  a  member  of  the  management.  So  you  get  eighteen 
hundred  krones  (£100)  a  year  and  a  flat  at  four  hundred 
(£22),  which  makes  two  thousand  two  hundred  krones 
(£122) — a  good  wage,  though  perhaps  I  oughtn't  to  say  so 
myself ;  but  good  pay  makes  good  work.  Well,  is  it  a 
bargain  ?  " 

Pelle  wanted  to  have  till  the  next  day  to  think  it  over. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  think  over  ?  One  ought  never 
to  think  over  things  too  much ;  our  age  requires  action. 
As  I  said  before,  an  expert  knowledge  is  not  the  main 
thing  ;  it's  your  authority  that  I  chiefly  want.  In  other 
words,  you'll  be  my  confidential  man.  Well,  well,  then 
you'll  give  me  your  answer  to-morrow." 

Pelle  went  slowly  homewards.  He  did  not  know  why 
he  had  asked  time  to  think  it  over  ;  the  matter  was  settled. 
If  you  wanted  to  make  a  home,  you  must  take  the  conse- 
quences of  it  and  not  sneak  away  the  first  time  a  prospect 
offered  of  making  it  a  little  comfortable  for  your  wife  and 
children.  So  now  he  was  the  dog  set  to  watch  his  com- 
panions. 

He  went  down  the  King's  New  Market  and  into  the 
fashionable  quarter.  It  was  bright  and  gay  here,  with 
the  arc-lamps  hanging  like  a  row  of  light-birds  above  the 


DAYBREAK  115 

asphalt,  now  and  then  beating  their  wings  to  keep  them- 
selves poised.  They  seemed  to  sweep  down  the  darkness 
of  night,  and  great  shadows  flickered  through  the  street 
and  disappeared.  In  the  narrow  side  streets  darkness  lay, 
and  insistent  sounds  forced  their  way  out  of  it — a  girl's 
laugh,  the  crying  of  a  lonely  child,  the  ceaseless  bickering 
of  a  cowed  woman.  But  people  strolled,  quietly  conversing, 
along  the  pavement  in  couples  and  heard  nothing.  They 
had  got  out  their  winter  coats,  and  were  luxuriating  in  the 
first  cold  weather. 

Music  sounded  from  the  large  cafes,  which  were  rilled  to 
overflowing.  People  were  sitting  close  together  in  small 
select  companies,  and  looked  gay  and  happy.  On  the  tables 
round  which  they  sat,  stood  the  wine-cooler  with  the 
champagne  bottle  pointing  obliquely  upwards  as  though 
it  were  going  to  shoot  down  heaven  itself  to  them.  How 
secure  they  appeared  to  feel !  Had  they  no  suspicion  that 
they  were  sitting  upon  a  thin  crust,  with  the  hell  of  poverty 
right  beneath  them  ?  Or  was  that  perhaps  why  they  were 
enjoying  themselves — to-day  your  turn,  to-morrow  mine  ? 
Perhaps  they  had  become  reconciled  to  the  idea,  and  took 
what  they  could  get  without  listening  too  carefully  to  the 
hoarse  protests  of  the  back  streets  ! 

Under  one  of  the  electric  lamp-posts  on  the  Town  Hall 
Square,  a  man  was  standing  selling  papers.  He  held  one 
out  to  Pelle,  saying :  "A  halfpenny  if  you  can  afford  it, 
if  not  you  can  have  it  for  nothing !  "  He  was  pale,  with 
dark  shadows  under  his  eyes,  and  he  had  a  dark  beard. 
He  looked  as  if  he  were  suffering  from  some  internal  com- 
plaint which  was  slowly  consuming  him.  Pelle  looked  at 
him,  and  saw  to  his  surprise  that  it  was  Peter  Dreyer,  his 
comrade  of  long  ago  ! 

"  Do  you  go  about  selling  newspapers  ?  "  he  exclaimed 
in  astonishment,  holding  out  his  hand. 


n6  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Peter  Dreyer  quietly  returned  his  greeting.  He  had 
the  same  heavy,  introspective  look  that  he  had  had  when 
Pelle  met  him  in  the  garret  in  Jager  Street,  but  looked  even 
more  perplexed. 

"  Yes,  I've  become  a  newspaper  man,"  he  said,  "  but 
only  after  working  hours.  It's  a  little  paper  that  I  write 
and  print  myself.  It  may  perhaps  do  you  good  to  read  it.'' 

"  What's  it  about  ?  " 

"  About  you  and  me." 

"It's  anarchistic,  I  suppose  ?  "  said  Pelle,  looking  at 
the  title  of  the  paper.  "  You  were  so  strange  last  time 
I  met  you." 

"  Well,  you  can  read  it.  A  halfpenny  if  you  can  afford 
it,  if  not  gratis  1 "  he  cried,  holding  out  a  copy  to  the  passers- 
by.  A  policeman  was  standing  a  little  way  off  observing 
him.  He  gradually  drew  nearer. 

"  I  see  you're  under  observation  !  "  said  Pelle,  drawing 
his  attention  to  the  policeman. 

"  I'm  used  to  that.  Once  or  twice  they've  seized  my 
inoffensive  little  paper." 

"  Then  it  can't  have  been  altogether  inoffensive  ?  "  said 
Pelle,  smiling. 

"  I  only  advise  people  to  think  for  themselves." 

"That  advice  may  be  dangerous  enough  too,  if  it's 
followed." 

"  Oh  yes.  The  mean  thing  is  that  the  police  pursue  me 
financially.  As  soon  as  I've  got  work  with  any  master, 
a  policeman  appears  and  advises  him  to  discharge  me. 
It's  their  usual  tactics !  They  aim  at  the  stomach,  for 
that's  where  they  themselves  have  their  heart." 

"  Then  it  must  be  very  hard  for  you  to  get  on,"  said 
Pelle  sympathetically. 

"  Oh,  I  get  along  somehow.  Now  and  then  they  put 
me  in  prison  for  no  lawful  reason,  and  when  a  certain  time 


DAYBREAK  117 

has  passed  they  let  me  out  again — the  one  with  just  as 
little  reason  as  the  other.  They've  lost  their  head.  It 
doesn't  say  much  for  machinery  that's  exclusively  kept 
going  to  look  after  us.  I've  a  feeling  that  they'd  like  to 
put  me  out  of  the  way,  if  it  could  be  done  ;  but  the 
country's  not  large  enough  to  let  any  one  disappear  in. 
But  I'm  not  going  to  play  the  hunted  animal  any  longer. 
Although  I  despise  our  laws,  which  are  only  a  mask  for 
brute  force,  I'm  very  careful  to  be  on  the  right  side  ;  and 
if  they  use  violence  against  me  again,  I'll  not  submit  to  it." 

"The  conditions  are  so  unequal,"  said  Pelle,  looking 
seriously  at  him. 

"  No  one  need  put  up  with  more  than  he  himself  likes. 
But  there's  something  wanting  in  us  here  at  home — our 
own  extreme  consequence,  self-respect ;  and  so  they  treat 
us  as  ignominiously  as  they  please." 

They  went  on  together.  On  the  pavement  outside  one 
of  the  large  cafes  stood  an  anaemic  woman  with  a  child 
upon  her  arm,  offering  for  sale  some  miserable  stalks  which 
were  supposed  to  represent  flowers.  Peter  Dreyer  pointed 
silently  from  her  to  the  people  in  the  cafe.  His  face  was 
distorted. 

"  I've  no  objection  to  people  enjoying  life,"  said  Pelle ; 
"  on  the  contrary,  I'm  glad  to  see  that  there  are  some  who 
are  happy.  I  hate  the  system,  but  not  the  people,  you  see, 
unless  it  were  those  who  grudge  us  all  anything,  and  are 
only  really  happy  in  the  thought  that  others  are  in  want." 

"And  do  you  believe  there's  any  one  in  there  who 
seriously  doesn't  grudge  others  anything  ?  Do  you  believe 
any  of  them  would  say  :  'I'm  fortunate  enough  to  earn 
twenty-five  thousand  krones  (£1400)  a  year  and  am  not 
allowed  to  use  more  than  five  thousand  (£300),  so  the  rest 
belongs  to  the  poor  '  ?  No,  they're  sitting  there  abusing 
the  poor  man  while  they  drink  up  the  surplus  of  his  existence. 


n8  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

The  men  abuse  the  workmen,  and  their  wives  the  servant 
girls.  Just  go  in  among  the  tables  and  listen  !  The  poor 
are  bestial,  unreliable,  ungrateful  in  spite  of  everything 
that  is  done  for  them  ;  they  are  themselves  to  blame  for 
their  misery.  It  gives  a  spice  to  the  feast  to  some  of  them, 
others  dull  their  uneasy  conscience  with  it.  And  yet  all 
they  eat  and  drink  has  been  made  by  the  poor  man  ;  even 
the  choicest  dainties  have  passed  through  his  dirty  hands 
and  have  a  piquant  flavour  of  sweat  and  hunger.  They 
look  upon  it  as  a  matter  of  course  that  it  should  be  so  ; 
they  are  not  even  surprised  that  nothing  is  ever  done  in 
gratitude  for  kind  treatment — something  to  disagree  with 
them,  a  little  poison,  for  instance.  Just  think  !  There  are 
millions  of  poor  people  daily  occupied  in  making  dainties 
for  the  rich  man,  and  it  never  occurs  to  any  of  them  to 
revenge  themselves,  they  are  so  good-natured.  Capital 
literally  sleeps  with  its  head  in  our  lap,  and  abuses  us  in 
its  sleep  ;  and  yet  we  don't  cut  its  throat !  " 

At  Victoria  Street  they  stopped.  The  policeman  had 
followed  them  and  stopped  on  the  other  side  of  the  street 
when  they  stopped.  Pelle  drew  the  other's  attention  to 
the  fact. 

Peter  looked  across  carelessly.  "He's  like  an  English 
bloodhound,"  he  said  quietly — "  a  ferocious  mouth  and  no 
brain  !  What  vexes  me  most  is  that  we  ourselves  produce 
the  dogs  that  are  to  hunt  us  ;  but  we  shall  soon  begin  to 
agitate  among  the  military. ' '  He  said  good-night  and  turned 
towards  Enghave  Road,  where  he  lived. 

Ellen  met  Pelle  at  the  top  of  the  street.  "  How  did 
you  get  on  ?  "  she  asked  eagerly.  "  Did  you  get  the 
place  ?  " 

He  quietly  explained  matters  to  her.  She  had  put  her 
arm  round  him.  "  You  great  big  man,"  she  said,  looking 
up  at  him  with  a  happy  face.  "  If  you  only  knew  how 


DAYBREAK  119 

proud  I  am  of  you !  Why  we're  rich  now,  Pelle — thirty- 
five  krones  (£2)  a  week  !  Aren't  you  glad  yourself  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I'm  glad  that  you  and  the  children  will  be  a 
little  comfortable  for  once." 

"  Yes,  but  you  yourself — you  don't  seem  to  be  very 
delighted,  and  yet  it's  a  good  place  you're  getting." 

"  It  won't  be  an  easy  place  for  me,  but  I  must  make  the 
best  of  it,"  he  answered. 

"  I  don't  see  why  not.  You're  to  be  on  the  side  of  the 
manufacturer,  but  that's  always  the  way  with  that  kind 
of  position);  and  he's  got  a  right  too  to  have  his  interests 
looked  after." 

When  they  got  in  Ellen  brought  him  his  supper,  which 
had  been  standing  on  the  stove  to  keep  warm.  Now  and 
then  she  looked  at  him  in  wonder  ;  there  was  something 
about  him  to-day  that  she  did  not  understand.  He  had 
on  the  whole  become  a  little  peculiar  in  his  views  about 
things  in  the  prison,  and  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at. 
She  went  to  him  and  stroked  his  hair. 

"  You'll  be  satisfied  on  your  own  account  too,  soon," 
she  said.  "  It's  fortunate  for  us  that  he  can't  be  bothered 
to  look  after  things  himself." 

"  He's  taken  up  with  politics,"  answered  Pelle  absently. 
"  At  present  he's  thinking  of  getting  into  the  Town  Council 
by  the  help  of  the  working-men's  votes." 

"  Then  it's  very  wise  of  him  to  take  you,"  Ellen  ex- 
claimed vivaciously.  "  You  understand  these  matters 
and  can  help  him.  If  we  save  we  may  perhaps  have 
so  much  over  that  we  could  buy  the  business  from  him 
some  day." 

She  looked  happy,  and  treated  him  to  a  little  petting, 
now  in  one  way  and  now  in  another.  Her  joy  increased 
her  beauty,  and  when  he  looked  at  her  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  regret  anything.  She  had  sacrificed  everything 


120  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

for  him,  and  he  could  do  nothing  without  considering  her. 
He  must  see  her  perfectly  happy  once  more,  let  it  cost  what 
it  might,  for  he  owed  her  everything.  How  beautiful  she 
was  in  her  unaffectedness  !  She  still  had  a  fondness  for 
dressing  in  black,  and  with  her  dark  hair  about  her  pale 
face,  she  resembled  one  of  those  Sisters  who  have  suffered 
much  and  do  everything  out  of  compassion. 

It  struck  him  that  he  had  never  heard  her  really  laugh  ; 
she  only  smiled.  He  had  not  awakened  the  strongest 
feeling  in  her  yet,  he  had  not  succeeded  in  making  her  happy ; 
and  therefore,  though  she  had  shared  his  bed  and  board, 
she  had  kept  the  most  beautiful  part  to  herself,  like  an 
unapproachable  virgin.  But  now  her  cheeks  glowed  with 
happy  expectation,  and  her  eyes  rested  upon  him  eagerly  ; 
he  no  longer  represented  for  her  the  everyday  dullness, 
he  was  the  fairy-story  that  might  take  her  by  surprise  when 
the  need  was  greatest.  He  felt  he  could  hardly  pay  too 
dearly  for  this  change.  Women  were  not  made  for  ad- 
versity and  solitude  ;  they  were  flowers  that  only  opened 
fully  when  happiness  kissed  them.  Ellen  might  shift  the 
responsibility  over  on  to  his  shoulders. 

The  next  day  he  dressed  himself  carefully  to  go  out  and 
make  the  final  agreement  with  the  manufacturer.  Ellen 
helped  him  to  button  his  collar,  and  brushed  his  coat,  talking, 
as  she  did  so,  with  the  lightheartedness  of  a  bird,  of  the  future. 
"  What  are  we  going  to  do  now  ?  We  must  try  and  get 
rid  of  this  flat  and  move  out  to  that  end  of  the  town,"  she 
said,  "  or  else  you'll  have  too  far  to  walk." 

"  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  we  shall  live  out  there,"  said 
Pelle.  "  He  has  three  stairs  with  one-roomed  apartments, 
and  we're  to  be  the  vice-landlord  of  them.  He  can't 
manage  the  tenants  himself."  Pelle  had  not  forgotten  it, 
but  had  not  been  able  to  bring  himself  to  tell  her  that  he 
was  to  be  watch-dog. 


DAYBREAK  121 

Ellen  looked  at  him  in  petrified  astonishment.  "  Does 
that  go  with  the  post  ?  "  she  gasped. 

Pelle  nodded. 

"  You  mustn't  do  it !  "  she  cried,  suddenly  seizing  him 
by  the  arms.  "  Do  you  hear,  Pelle  ?  You  mustn't  do  it !  " 
She  was  greatly  disturbed  and  gazed  beseechingly  at  him. 
"  I  don't  understand  you  at  all." 

He  looked  at  her  in  bewilderment  and  murmured 
something  in  self-defence. 

"  Don't  you  see  that  he  only  wants  to  make  use  of  you  ?  " 
she  continued  excitedly.  "  It's  a  Judas  post  he's  offered 
you,  but  we  won't  earn  our  bread  by  turning  poor  people 
into  the  street.  I've  seen  my  own  bits  of  furniture  lying 
in  the  gutter.  Oh,  if  you'd  gone  there  !  "  She  gazed 
shudderingly  straight  before  her. 

"  I  can't  understand  what  you  can  have  been  thinking 
about — you  who  are  generally  so  sensible,"  she  said  when 
she  had  once  more  calmed  down,  looking  reproachfully  at 
him  ;  but  the  next  instant  she  understood  it  all,  and  sank 
down  weeping. 

"  Oh,  Pelle,  Pelle  !  "  she  exclaimed,  and  hid  her  face. 


VIII 

PELLE  read  no  more  and  no  longer  went  to  the  library. 
He  had  enough  to  do  to  keep  things  going.  There  was  no 
question  now  of  trying  to  get  a  place  ;  winter  was  at  the 
door,  and  the  army  of  the  unemployed  grew  larger  every 
day.  He  stayed  at  home,  worked  when  there  was  anything 
to  do,  and  for  the  rest  minded  the  children  for  Ellen  while 
she  washed.  He  talked  to  Lasse  Fredrik  as  he  would  to 
a  comrade,  but  it  was  nice  to  have  to  look  after  the  little 
ones  too.  They  were  grateful  for  it,  and  he  discovered 
that  it  gave  him  much  pleasure.  Boy  Comfort  he  was  very 
fond  of  now,  his  only  sorrow  being  that  the  boy  could  not 
talk  yet.  His  dumbness  was  always  a  silent  accusation. 

"  Why  don't  you  bring  books  home  ?  "  Ellen  would 
say  when  she  came  up  from  the  wash-house  to  look  after 
them,  with  her  arms  bare  and  tiny  drops  in  her  hair  from 
the  steam  down  there.  "  You've  plenty  of  time  now." 

No,  what  did  he  want  with  books  ?  They  did  perhaps 
widen  his  horizon  a  little,  but  what  lay  behind  it  became 
so  very  much  greater  again  ;  and  he  himself  only  grew 
smaller  by  reading.  It  was  impossible  in  any  case  to  obtain 
any  reassuring  view  of  the  whole.  The  world  followed  its 
own  crooked  course  in  defiance  of  all  wisdom.  There  was 
little  pleasure  in  absorbing  knowledge  about  things  that 
one  could  not  remedy  ;  poor  people  had  better  be  dull. 

He  and  Morten  had  just  been  to  Madam  Johnsen's 
funeral.  She  had  not  succeeded  in  seeing  Jutland.  Out 


DAYBREAK  123 

of  a  whole  life  of  toil  there  had  never  been  ten  krones  (IDS.) 
over  for  a  ticket  home  ;  and  the  trains  ran  day  after  day 
with  hundreds  of  empty  places.  With  chilling  punctuality 
they  whirled  away  from  station  to  station.  Heaven  knows 
how  many  thousand  empty  seats  the  trains  had  run  with  to 
Jutland  during  the  years  in  which  the  old  woman  longed 
to  see  her  home  !  And  if  she  had  trudged  to  the  railway- 
station  and  got  into  the  train,  remorseless  hands  would 
have  removed  her  at  the  first  station.  What  had  she  to  do 
with  Jutland  ?  She  longed  to  go  there,  it  was  true,  but 
she  had  no  money  ! 

Was  it  malice  or  heartless  indifference  ?  A  more 
fiendish  sport  can  at  any  rate  hardly  be  imagined  than  this 
running  with  empty  places.  It  was  they  that  made  the 
journey  so  terribly  vivid — as  though  the  devil  himself  were 
harnessed  to  the  train  and,  panting  with  wantonness, 
dragging  it  along  through  the  country  to  places  that  people 
were  longing  to  see.  It  must  be  dreadful  to  be  the  guard 
and  call  the  names  of  the  stations  in  to  those  seats  for  the 
people  left  behind ! 

And  Sister  walked  about  the  floor  so  pale  and  thin  ! 
There  was  no  strength  in  her  fair  hair,  and  when  she  was 
excited,  her  breath  whistled  in  her  windpipe  with  that 
painful  sound  that  was  practically  inseparable  from  the 
children  of  the  poor  neighbourhoods.  It  was  always  the 
vitiated  air  of  the  back-yards  that  had  something  to  say 
now — depressing,  like  almost  everything  his  understanding 
mastered.  All  she  wanted  was  sunshine,  and  all  the  summer 
it  had  been  poured  down  in  openhanded  generosity,  only 
it  went  over  the  heads  of  poor  people  like  everything  else. 
It  had  been  a  splendid  year  for  strawberries,  but  the  large 
gardeners  had  decided  to  let  half  of  them  rot  on  their  stalks 
in  order  to  keep  up  the  prices  and  save  the  money  spent  on 
picking  them.  And  here  were  the  children  hungering  for 


124  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

fruit,  and  ailing  for  want  of  it !  Why  ?  No,  there  was  no 
possible  answer  to  be  given  to  that  question. 

And  again — everywhere  the  same !  Whenever  he 
thought  of  some  social  institution  or  other,  the  same 
melancholy  spectacle  presented  itself — an  enormous  rolling 
stock,  only  meant  for  a  few,  and  to  a  great  extent  running 
empty  ;  and  from  the  empty  places  accusing  eyes  gazed 
out,  sick  and  sad  with  hunger  and  want  and  disappointed 
hope.  If  one  had  once  seen  them,  it  was  impossible  to 
close  one's  eyes  to  them  again. 

Sometimes  his  imagination  took  another  direction,  and 
he  found  himself  planning,  for  instance,  kingdoms  in  which 
trains  were  used  according  to  the  need  for  them,  and  not 
according  to  the  purse,  where  the  food  was  eaten  by  those  who 
were  hungry,  and  the  only  poor  people  were  those  who  grudged 
others  things.  But  he  pulled  himself  up  there  ;  it  was  too 
idiotic  !  A  voice  from  the  unseen  had  called  him  and  his 
out  into  the  day,  and  then  nothing  had  happened !  It 
had  only  been  to  fool  them. 

Brun  often  came  down  to  see  him.  The  old  librarian 
missed  his  young  friend. 

"  Why  do  you  never  come  hi  to  us  now  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  What  should  I  do  there  ?  "  answered  Pelle  shortly. 
"  The  poor  man  has  no  use  for  knowledge  ;  he's  ever- 
lastingly damned." 

He  had  broken  with  all  that  and  did  not  care  either 
about  the  librarian's  visits.  It  was  best  for  every  one  to 
look  after  himself  ;  the  great  were  no  company  for  such  as 
he.  He  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  his  ill  humour,  but 
Brun  took  no  notice.  The  latter  had  moved  out  into 
Frederiksberg  Avenue  in  October,  and  dropped  in  almost 
every  afternoon  on  his  way  home  from  the  library.  The 
children  took  care  to  be  down  there  at  that  time,  for  he 
always  brought  something  for  them. 


DAYBREAK  125 

Neither  Pelle  nor  Ellen  demanded  much  of  life  now. 
They  had  settled  down  in  resignation  side  by  side  like  a 
pair  of  cart-horses  that  were  accustomed  to  share  manger 
and  toil.  It  would  have  been  a  great  thing  now  to  have 
done  with  that  confounded  loan,  so  that  they  need  not  go 
about  with  their  lives  in  their  hands  continually  ;  but  even 
that  was  requiring  too  much  !  All  that  could  be  scraped 
together  went  every  month  to  the  money-lender,  and  they 
were  no  nearer  the  end.  On  the  one  hundred  and  eighty 
krones  (£10)  that  Pelle  had  received  they  had  now  in  all 
paid  off  one  hundred  and  twenty  (£7),  and  yet  they  still 
owed  two  hundred  and  forty  (more  than  £13).  It  was  the 
"  punishment  interest  "  that  made  it  mount  up  whenever 
they  came  only  a  day  or  two  too  late  with  the  instalments 
or  whatever  it  might  be.  In  any  case  it  was  an  endless 
screw  that  would  go  on  all  their  life  pumping  out  whatever 
they  could  scrape  together  into  the  money-lender's  pocket. 

But  now  Pelle  meant  to  put  an  end  to  this.  He  had 
not  paid  the  last  instalment  and  meant  to  pay  no  more, 
but  let  things  go  as  they  liked.  "  You  ought  to  borrow 
of  Herr  Brun  and  pay  off  that  money-lender,"  said  Ellen, 
"  or  else  he'll  only  come  down  on  us  and  take  our  furniture." 
But  Pelle  was  obstinate  and  would  not  listen  to  reason. 
The  consciousness  that  a  parasite  had  fastened  upon  him 
and  sucked  him  dry  in  spite  of  all  his  resistance,  made  him 
angry.  He  would  like  to  see  them  touching  his  things  ! 

When  the  money-lender  came  to  fetch  his  instalment, 
Pelle  shut  the  door  in  his  face.  For  the  rest  he  took 
everything  with  the  calmness  of  resignation  ;  but  when  the 
subject  cropped  up,  he  fired  up  and  did  not  know  what  he 
said.  Ellen  had  to  keep  silence  and  let  his  mood  work 
itself  out. 

One  afternoon  he  sat  working  at  the  basement  window. 
The  librarian  was  sitting  on  the  chair  by  the  door,  with  a 


126  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

child  on  each  knee,  feeding  them  with  dates.  Pelle  was 
taking  no  notice,  but  bent  over  his  work  with  the  expres- 
sion of  a  madman  who  is  afraid  of  being  spoken  to.  His 
work  did  not  interest  him  as  it  had  formerly  done,  and 
progressed  slowly  ;  a  disturbing  element  had  entered,  and 
whenever  he  could  not  instantly  find  a  tool,  he  grew  angry 
and  threw  the  things  about. 

Brun  sat  watching  him  anxiously,  though  apparently 
taken  up  with  the  children.  A  pitying  expression  would 
have  made  Pelle  furious.  Brun  guessed  that  there  was 
some  money  trouble,  but  dared  not  offer  his  assistance 
every  time  he  tried  to  begin  a  conversation  Pelle  repelled 
him  with  a  cunning  look  which  said  :  "  You're  seeking  for 
an  opportunity  to  come  with  your  money,  but  you  won't 
get  it !  "  Something  or  other  had  gone  wrong  with  him, 
but  it  would  all  come  right  in  the  end. 

A  cab  stopped  outside  the  door,  and  three  men  stepped 
out  and  went  into  the  house.  A  little  while  after  Ellen 
burst  into  the  workshop.  "  Pelle  !  "  she  cried,  without 
noticing  Brun,  "  they've  come  to  take  away  our  things  !  " 
She  broke  into  a  fit  of  weeping,  and  seeing  tfteir  mother 
crying,  the  children  began  to  cry  too. 

Pelle  rose  and  seized  a  hammer.  "I'll  soon  get  them 
out !  "  he  said  between  his  teeth  in  a  low  tone  as  he  moved 
towards  the  door.  He  did  not  hurry,  but  went  with  lowered 
head,  not  looking  at  any  one. 

Brun  seized  him  by  the  arm  and  stopped  him. 

"  You  forget  that  there's  something  called  Prison  !  " 
he  said  with  peculiar  emphasis. 

Pelle  gazed  at  him  in  astonishment,  and  for  a  moment 
it  looked  as  if  he  were  going  to  strike  the  old  man  ;  then 
the  hammer  dropped  from  his  hand  and  he  broke  down. 


IX 

Now  and  then  a  comrade  from  the  good  old  days  would 
come  up  and  want  Pelle  to  go  with  him  to  a  meeting.  Old 
fighting  memories  wakened  within  him.  Perhaps  it  was 
there  the  whole  point  lay.  He  threw  off  his  leather  apron 
and  went.  Ellen's  eyes  followed  him  to  the  door,  wondering 
that  he  could  still  wish  to  have  anything  to  do  with  that 
after  what  he  had  got  out  of  it. 

But  it  was  not  there  after  all !  He  remembered  the 
tremendous  ferment  in  men's  minds  during  the  Movement, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  excitement  had  died  down. 
People  only  came  forward  before  the  elections,  otherwise 
they  went  about  their  own  business  as  if  there  had  never 
been  any  rallying  idea.  They  were  all  organised,  but  there 
was  nothing  new  and  strong  in  that  fact  ;  they  were  born 
— so  to  speak — in  organisation,  and  connected  nothing  great 
and  elevating  with  it.  His  old  associates  had  cooled  down 
remarkably ;  they  must  have  discovered  that  success  was 
neither  so  romantic  nor  so  easy  as  they  had  thought.  They 
had  no  longer  simply  to  open  the  gate  into  the  land  of  success 
and  stream  through  it ;  there  was  a  long  and  difficult  road 
before  that.  So  they  each  arranged  his  own  matters,  and 
disposed  of  the  doubtful  future  for  small  present  advantages 
which  were  immediately  swallowed  up  by  the  existing 
conditions. 

The  Movement  had  not  reached  to  the  bottom.  There 
was  an  accusation  against  himself  in  this  fact ;  it  had  not 
127 


128  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

been  designed  with  sufficient  breadth.  Even  at  that  time 
it  had  passed  over  the  heads  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
"  Ark,"  and  now  a  large  proletariat  was  left  with  their  own 
expectations  of  the  future.  The  good  old  class  of  the 
common  people  had  split  up  into  a  class  of  petty  tradesmen 
— who  seemed  to  be  occupied  solely  in  establishing  them- 
selves— and  this  proletariat. 

But  there  was  nothing  new  in  this.  One  stratum  moved 
up  and  revealed  a  new  one  below  ;  it  had  always  been  thus 
in  history.  Was  it  then  everlastingly  determined  that  at 
the  bottom  of  existence  there  should  always  be  the  same 
innumerable  crowd  of  those  who  were  thrust  down,  who 
bore  the  burden  of  the  whole,  the  great  hunger  reserve  ? 
Was  it  only  possible  to  be  happy  when  one  knew  how  to 
push  the  difficulties  down,  just  as  one  might  push  the  folds 
of  a  material  until  at  last  they  were  heaped  up  in  one 
place  ?  It  was  the  old  question  over  again.  Formerly  he 
had  had  his  clear  faith  with  which  to  beat  down  doubt, 
but  now  he  could  not  be  content  with  a  blind  hope  ;  he 
required  to  be  shown  an  expedient.  If  the  movement  had 
failed  through  having  been  begun  crookedly,  the  causes 
with  which  one  had  to  do  were  practical  causes,  and  it  was 
possible  to  do  the  whole  thing  over  again. 

There  were  also  others  engaged  in  taking  the  whole  thing 
up  from  the  bottom,  and  through  Peter  Dreyer  he  came  into 
contact  with  young  men  of  an  entirely  new  type.  They 
had  emerged  from  the  Movement,  shot  up  surprisingly  out 
of  its  sediment,  and  now  made  new  ambitious  claims  upon 
life.  By  unknown  paths  they  had  reached  the  same  point 
as  he  himself  had  done,  and  demanded  first  and  foremost 
to  be  human  beings.  The  sacredness  of  the  ego  filled  them, 
and  made  them  rebel  at  all  yokes  ;  they  began  from  within 
by  shaking  them  off,  did  not  smoke  or  drink,  would  be 
slaves  to  nothing.  They  kept  out  of  the  Movement  and 


DAYBREAK  129 

had  their  own  places  of  meeting  out  about  the  South 
Boulevard,  where  they  read  and  discussed  new  social  forms. 
They  were  intelligent,  well-paid  working-men,  who  per- 
sistently shared  the  conditions  of  the  proletariat ;  fanatics 
who  gave  away  their  week's  wages  if  they  met  a  man  who 
was  poorer  than  themselves  ;  hot-headed  enthusiasts  who 
awaited  revolution.  Several  of  them  had  been  in  prison 
for  agitating  against  the  social  order.  There  were  also 
country  people  among  them — sons  of  the  men  who  stood 
in  the  ditches  and  peat-pits  out  there.  "  The  little  man's 
children,"  Morten  called  them. 

These  were  the  offspring  of  those  who  had  made  the 
Movement ;  that  was  how  it  should  go  on.  By  being 
contented  they  kept  themselves  free  from  the  ensnaring 
expedients  of  capitalism,  they  despised  the  petty  trades- 
man's inclination  for  comfort,  and  were  always  ready 
for  action.  In  them  the  departure  was  at  any  rate 
a  fact  ! 

They  wanted  to  get  hold  of  Pelle.  "  Come  over  to  us  !  " 
Peter  Dreyer  often  said. 

Pelle,  however,  was  not  easily  enticed  out ;  he  had  his 
home  where  he  hid  himself  like  a  snail  in  its  shell.  He 
had  the  responsibility  for  this  little  world  of  five  people, 
and  he  had  not  even  succeeded  in  securing  it.  His  strength 
and  industry  were  not  enough  even  to  keep  one  little  home 
above  water  ;  a  benefactor  was  needed  for  that !  It  was  not 
the  time  to  tend  jealously  one's  own  honour  when  wife  and 
children  would  be  the  sufferers ;  and  now  that  it  was  all 
arranged  he  felt  deeply  grateful  to  the  old  librarian.  It  was 
nevertheless  a  disgraceful  fact  which  did  not  encourage 
him  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  affairs  of  others. 

The  violent  language  used  by  the  young  men  frightened 
him  too.  He  had  rebelled  against  the  old  conditions  just 
as  they  had  done,  but  he  met  with  different  experiences. 

VOL.  IV.  K 


130  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

From  the  time  he  could  crawl  he  had  struggled  to  accom- 
modate himself  to  the  great  connection  of  things  ;  even 
the  life  of  the  prison  had  not  placed  him  outside  it,  but 
had  only  united  him  the  more  closely  with  the  whole. 
He  had  no  inclination  to  cut  the  knot,  but  demanded  that 
it  should  be  untied. 

"  You're  no  good,"  said  Morten  and  the  others  when 
they  tried  to  rouse  him,  "  for  you  can't  hate."  No,  the 
cold  in  his  mind  was  like  the  night-frost  ;  it  melted  at  the 
first  sunbeam.  When  he  looked  back  there  were  redeeming 
ties  that  held  the  whole  together  in  spite  of  all  the  evil ; 
and  now  the  old  librarian  had  brought  him  close  up  to  the 
good  in  the  other  side  of  the  cleft  too.  He  had  settled 
down  to  his  shoe-making  again  and  refused  to  be  roused 
by  the  others'  impatience  ;  but  he  looked  as  if  he  had  an 
eternity  in  which  to  unravel  his  affairs. 

Sister  was  often  down  with  him  and  rilled  the  workshop 
with  her  chatter.  At  about  eight,  when  it  began  to  grow 
light,  he  heard  her  staggering  step  on  the  stair,  and  she 
remained  with  him  until  Ellen  took  her  up  in  the  evening 
by  main  force  to  put  her  to  bed.  She  dragged  all  the  tools 
together  and  piled  them  up  in  front  of  Pelle  on  the  bench 
so  that  he  could  hardly  move,  and  called  it  helping.  Then 
she  rested,  standing  with  her  hands  upon  the  edge  of  the 
bench  and  talking  to  him.  "  Sister's  clever !  "  she  said 
appreciatively,  pointing  with  satisfaction  to  her  work. 
"  Big  girl !  "  And  if  he  did  not  answer  she  repeated  it 
and  did  not  leave  off  until  he  had  praised  her. 

"  Yes,  you're  very  clever  !  "  he  said,  "  but  can  you  put 
the  things  back  in  their  places  ?  " 

The  child  shook  her  head.  "  Sister's  tired,"  she 
declared  with  decision,  and  immediately  after  brought 
another  tool  and  pushed  it  slowly  up  on  to  the  heap  while 
she  kept  her  eyes  upon  his  face  to  see  whether  she  might 


DAYBREAK  131 

do  it.  "  Sister's  helping  !  "  she  repeated  in  explanation ; 
but  Pelle  pretended  not  to  hear. 

For  a  time  she  was  quiet,  but  then  came  to  him  with 
her  pinafore  full  of  old  boots  and  shoes  that  she  had  pulled 
out  from  behind  the  stove.  He  tried  to  look  stern,  but 
had  to  bend  down  over  his  work.  It  made  the  little  girl 
feel  uncertain.  She  emptied  her  pinafore  on  to  the  plat- 
form, and  sitting  on  her  heels  with  her  hands  on  her  little 
knees,  she  tried  to  see  what  his  expression  was.  It  was 
not  satisfactory,  so  she  got  up  and,  putting  her  hands  on 
his  knee,  said,  with  an  ingratiating  look  into  his  face  : 
"  You're  so  clever,  father !  You  can  do  everything ! 
You're  the  cleverest  in  the  whole  world  !  "  And  after 
a  little  pause — "  We're  both  clever,  aren't  we,  father  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  is  it !  "  exclaimed  Pelle.  "  One  of  us  is 
very  conceited  at  any  rate  !  " 

"It's  not  me  !  "  answered  the  child  confidently,  shaking 
her  head. 

"  You  seem  to  be  very  happy  together,"  said  Ellen 
when  she  came  down  with  Boy  Comfort  on  her  arm  to  fetch 
Anna.  The  child  did  not  want  to  go  up  with  her,  and 
pushed  round  into  the  corner  behind  Pelle 's  chair ;  and 
Boy  Comfort  struggled  to  be  put  down  on  to  the  floor  to 
play  with  the  lasts.  "  Well,  then,"  said  Ellen,  sitting  down, 
"  we'll  all  stay  here  together." 

She  looked  quiet  and  resigned ;  her  defeat  had  told 
upon  her.  She  no  longer  spoke  of  the  future,  but  was  glad 
that  they  had  escaped  from  the  clutches  of  the  money- 
lender ;  the  thought  of  it  filled  her  with  a  quiet  but  not 
altogether  unspoiled  happiness.  She  no  longer  dreamed 
of  anything  better,  but  was  grateful  for  what  she  possessed  ; 
and  it  seemed  to  Pelle  that  something  had  died  within  her 
together  with  the  dissatisfaction.  It  was  as  though  she 
had  at  last  given  everything  she  had ;  her  resignation  to 


I32  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

the  grey  everyday  life  made  her  dull  and  ordinary.  "  She 
needs  sunshine,"  he  thought. 

And  again  his  thoughts  wandered  in  their  search  for  a  way 
out  into  the  future — his  one  idea — in  the  same  track  that 
they  had  followed  a  hundred  times  before.  He  did  not 
even  enter  it  fully,  but  merely  recognised  that  the  problem 
was  being  worn  threadbare.  In  his  trade  there  was  no 
compromise  ;  there  was  only  room  for  extortioners  and 
extortionised,  and  he  was  not  suited  for  either  part.  When 
he  took  up  other  possibilities,  however,  his  thoughts  returned 
of  themselves  to  his  work,  like  a  roving  dog  that  always 
comes  back  and  snuffs  at  the  same  scent.  There  was 
something  in  him  that  with  fatalistic  obstinacy  made  him 
one  with  his  trade,  in  spite  of  its  hopelessness ;  he  had 
staked  everything  there,  and  there  the  question  should  be 
solved.  Behind  the  fatalism  of  the  common  people  lies 
the  recognition  that  there  is  plan  and  perspective  in  their 
life  too  ;  such  and  such  a  thing  is  so  because  it  must 
be  so.  And  this  recognition  Pelle  had  no  reason  to  do 
away  with. 

He  grew  confused  with  the  continual  dwelling  of  his 
thoughts  on  the  same  subject,  but  it  seemed  to  possess  him, 
was  with  him  while  he  slept,  and  seized  him  as  soon  as  he 
awoke.  There  was  an  old  dream  that  persistently  haunted 
him  at  this  time — a  forgotten  youthful  idea  from  his 
earliest  participation  in  the  rising,  the  plan  for  a  common 
workshop  that  would  make  the  court  shoemaker  superfluous. 
The  plan  had  been  laid  aside  at  the  time  as  impossible,  but 
now  he  took  it  up  again  and  went  over  it  step  by  step. 
He  could  easily  find  some  capable,  reliable  fellow-workmen 
who  would  stand  by  him  through  thick  and  thin  with 
regard  to  work  and  profits  ;  and  there  would  be  no  difficulty 
about  discipline,  for  during  the  past  years  the  workmen 
had  learnt  to  subordinate  themselves  to  their  own  people. 


DAYBREAK  133 

Here  was  a  way  for  the  small  man  to  assert  himself  within 
his  trade  and  join  the  development ;  what  one  was  not 
able  to  do  could  be  done  by  several  joining  together,  namely, 
turn  the  modern  technics  to  account  and  divide  the  work 
into  sections.  He  arranged  it  all  most  carefully,  and  went 
over  it  again  and  again  to  make  sure  that  every  detail  was 
correct.  When  he  slept  he  dreamed  of  his  system  of  profit- 
sharing,  and  then  it  was  a  fact.  He  stood  working  in  a 
bright  room  among  comrades ;  there  was  no  master  and 
no  servant,  the  machinery  whirred,  and  the  workmen 
sang  and  whistled  while  they  minded  it.  Their  hours  of 
labour  were  short,  and  they  all  had  happy  homes  waiting 
for  them. 

It  was  hard  to  wake  up  and  know  the  reality.  Alas  ! 
all  the  cleverest  and  most  industrious  hands  in  the  world 
had  no  influence  hi  their  several  trades — could  not  so  much 
as  sew  a  single  stitch — until  capital  started  them.  If  that 
refused  its  support,  they  could  do  nothing  at  all,  but  were 
cut  off,  as  it  were,  at  once. 

Machinery  cost  money.  Pelle  could  get  the  latter  from 
Brun,  the  old  man  having  often  enough  offered  him  capital 
to  start  something  or  other  ;  but  he  already  owed  him 
money,  and  capital  might  run  his  undertaking  down.  It 
was  at  its  post,  and  allowed  no  activity  of  that  kind  beside 
it.  He  was  seized  with  uncertainty  ;  he  dared  not  venture 
the  stakes. 

The  old  philosopher  came  almost  daily.  Pelle  had 
become  a  part  of  his  life,  and  he  watched  his  young  friend's 
condition  with  anxiety.  Was  it  the  prison  life — or  was  it 
perhaps  the  books — that  had  transformed  this  young  man, 
who  had  once  gone  ahead  with  tempestuous  recklessness,  into 
a  hesitating  doubter  who  could  not  come  to  a  decision  ? 
Personality  was  of  doubtful  value  when  it  grew  at  the  ex- 
pense of  energy.  It  had  been  the  old  man's  hope  that  it 


134  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

would  have  developed  greater  energy  through  being  re- 
planted in  fresh,  untouched  soil,  and  he  tried  to  rouse  Pelle 
out  of  his  lethargy. 

Pelle  gave  an  impatient  jerk.  They  were  poking  him 
up  on  all  sides,  wanting  him  to  come  to  a  decision,  and  he 
could  not  see  his  way  to  it.  Of  course  he  was  half  asleep  ; 
he  knew  it  himself.  He  felt  that  he  wanted  rest  ;  his 
entity  was  working  for  him  out  there  in  the  uncertainty. 

"  I  don't  know  anything,"  he  said,  half  irritated,  "  so 
what  can  be  the  use  ?  I  thought  books  would  lead  me  to  a 
place  from  which  I  could  bring  everything  together  ;  but 
now  I'm  all  abroad.  I  know  too  much  to  dash  on  blindly, 
and  too  little  to  find  the  pivot  on  which  the  whole  thing 
turns.  It  doesn't  matter  what  I  touch,  it  resolves  itself 
into  something  for  and  something  against."  He  laughed 
in  desperation. 

One  day  Brun  brought  him  a  book.  "  This  book,"  he 
said  with  a  peculiar  smile,  "  has  satisfied  many  who  were 
seeking  for  the  truth.  Let's  see  whether  it  can  satisfy  you 
too  !  "  It  was  Darwin's  "  Origin  of  Species." 

Pelle  read  as  hi  a  mist.  The  point  lay  here — the  whole 
thing  powerfully  put  into  one  sentence  !  His  brain  was  in  a 
ferment,  he  could  not  lay  the  book  down,  but  went  on  reading 
all  night,  bewitched  and  horrified  at  this  merciless  view. 
When  Ellen  in  surprise  came  down  with  his  morning  coffee, 
he  had  finished  the  book.  He  made  no  reply  to  her  gentle 
reproaches,  but  drank  the  coffee  in  silence,  put  on  his  hat 
and  went  out  into  the  deserted  streets  to  cool  his  burning 
brow. 

It  was  very  early  and  the  working-men  had  not  yet 
turned  out  ;  at  the  morning  coffee-rooms  the  shutters  were 
just  being  taken  down ;  warmly-clad  tram-men  were 
tramping  through  the  streets  in  their  wooden-soled  boots  ; 
slipshod,  tired  women  ran  stumbling  along  to  their  early 


DAYBREAK  135 

jobs,  shivering  with  cold  and  weary  of  life,  weary  before 
they  had  begun  their  day.  Here  and  there  a  belated 
woman  toiled  along  the  street  carrying  a  clothes-basket,  a 
mother  taking  her  baby  to  the  creche  before  she  went  to 
her  work. 

Suddenly  the  feeling  of  rebellion  came  over  Pelle,  hot, 
almost  suffocating  him.  This  cruelly  cold  doctrine  of  the 
right  of  the  strong,  which  gave  him  the  choice  between 
becoming  brutal  or  going  to  the  dogs — this  was  the  key  to 
an  understanding  of  life  ?  It  pronounced  a  sentence  of 
death  upon  him  and  his  fellows,  upon  the  entire  world  of 
the  poor.  From  this  point  of  view,  the  existing  conditions 
were  the  only  ones  possible — they  were  simply  ideal ;  the 
sweater  and  the  money-lender,  whom  he  hated,  were  in  the 
most  harmonious  agreement  with  the  fundamental  laws  of 
life  !  And  the  terrible  thing  was  that  from  this  standpoint 
the  social  fabric  was  clearly  illuminated  :  he  could  not  deny 
it.  He  who  best  learned  to  accommodate  himself  to  the 
existing  state  of  things,  conquered ;  no  matter  how  vile  the 
existing  state  of  things  might  be. 

The  book  threw  at  once  a  dazzling  light  upon  society, 
but  where  was  his  own  class  in  this  doctrine — all  the  poor  ? 
They  were  not  taken  into  account !  Society  was  thus 
in  reality  only  those  in  possession,  and  here  he  had  their 
religion,  the  moral  support  for  the  uncompromising  utilisa- 
tion. It  had  always  been  difficult  to  understand  how  men 
could  misuse  others  ;  but  here  it  was  a  sacred  duty  to 
give  stones  for  bread.  The  greatest  oppressor  was  in 
reality  nearest  to  life's  holy,  maternal  heart ;  for  he  was 
appointed  to  carry  on  the  development. 

The  poor  had  no  share  in  this  doctrine.  When  a  bad 
workman  was  in  difficulties,  the  others  did  not  press  him 
until  he  had  to  go  down,  not  even  when  he  himself  was  to 
blame  for  his  lack  of  means.  The  poor  did  not  let  the  weak 


I36  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

fall,  but  took  him  under  their  wing.  They  placed  themselves 
outside  the  pale  of  the  law  and  gave  themselves  no  chance  ; 
the  race  could  not  be  won  with  a  wounded  comrade  on  one's 
back.  But  in  this  fact  there  lay  the  admission  that  they 
did  not  belong  to  the  existing  order  of  things,  but  had  the 
right  to  demand  their  own  time  of  happiness.  A  new  age 
must  come,  in  which  all  that  was  needed  in  order  that  they 
might  share  in  it — kindness  of  heart,  solidarity — was 
predominant.  Thus  even  the  great  union  he  had  helped 
to  effect  pointed  in  the  right  direction.  It  had  been  the 
opposite  of  one  against  all — it  had  built  upon  the  law  of 
reciprocity. 

And  the  poor  man  was  not  a  miserable  wretch,  con- 
demned by  the  development  to  be  ruined,  a  visionary,  who, 
as  a  consequence  of  an  empty  stomach,  dreamed  of  a  Utopia. 
Pelle  had  passed  his  childhood  in  the  country  and  gone 
about  with  the  rest  of  creation  in  all  kinds  of  weather.  He 
had  seen  the  small  singing-birds  throw  themselves  in  whole 
clouds  at  the  hawk  when  it  had  seized  one  of  their  number, 
and  pursue  it  until  it  dropped  its  prey  in  confusion.  When 
he  caught  an  ant  in  a  split  straw,  the  other  ants  flocked 
to  the  straw  and  gnawed  their  comrade  out :  they  could 
not  be  frightened  away.  If  he  touched  them,  they  squirted 
their  poison  against  his  hand  and  went  on  working.  Their 
courage  amused  him,  the  sprinklings  of  poison  were  so 
tiny  that  he  could  not  see  them  ;  but  if  he  quickly  raised 
his  hand  to  his  nose,  he  detected  a  sharp  acid  smell.  Why 
did  they  not  leave  their  comrade  in  his  dilemma,  when 
there  were  so  many  of  them  and  they  were  so  busy  ?  They 
did  not  even  stop  to  have  a  meal  until  they  had  liberated 
him. 

The  poor  man  must  stick  to  the  union  idea  ;  he  had  got 
hold  of  the  right  thing  this  time  !  And  now  all  at  once 
Pelle  knew  which  way  they  ought  to  go.  If  they  were 


DAYBREAK  137 

outside  the  existing  conditions  and  their  laws,  why  not 
arrange  their  own  world  upon  the  laws  that  were  theirs  ? 
Through  the  organisations  they  had  been  educated  in  self- 
government  ;  it  was  about  time  that  they  took  charge  of 
their  own  existence. 

The  young  revolutionaries  kept  clear  of  the  power  of 
money  by  going  without  things,  but  that  was  not  the  way. 
Capital  always  preached  contentment  to  the  poor  ;  he  would 
go  the  other  way,  and  conquer  production  by  a  great 
flanking  movement. 

He  was  not  afraid  now  of  using  the  librarian's  money. 
All  doubt  had  been  chased  away.  He  was  perfectly  clear 
and  saw  in  broad  outlines  a  world- wide,  peaceful  revolution 
which  was  to  subvert  all  existing  values.  Pelle  knew  that 
poverty  is  not  confined  to  any  country.  He  had  once 
before  brought  forward  an  invincible  idea.  His  system 
of  profit-sharing  must  be  the  starting-point  for  a  world- 
fight  between  Labour  and  Capital ! 


X 

Two  days  later  Pelle  and  the  librarian  went  to  Frederiks- 
borg  Street  to  look  at  a  business  that  was  to  be  disposed  of. 
It  was  a  small  matter  of  half  a  score  of  workmen,  with  an 
electrical  workshop  in  the  basement  and  a  shop  above. 
The  whole  could  be  had  by  taking  over  the  stock  and 
machinery  at  a  valuation.  The  rent  was  rather  high,  but 
with  that  exception  the  conditions  were  favourable. 

"  I  think  we'll  arrange  that  the  purchase  and  working 
capital  shall  bear- interest  and  be  sunk  like  a  four  per  cent, 
credit-association  loan,"  said  Brun. 

"  It's  cheap  money,"  answered  Pelle.  "  A  good  result 
won't  say  much  about  the  circumstances  when  we  haven't 
got  the  same  conditions  as  other  businesses." 

"  Not  so  very  cheap.  At  that  price  you  can  get  as  many 
as  you  want  on  good  security  ;  and  I  suppose  the  workman 
ought  to  be  regarded  as  the  best  security  in  an  undertaking 
that's  built  upon  labour,"  said  the  old  man,  smiling. 
"  There'll  be  a  big  fall  in  discount  when  you  come  into 
power,  Pelle  !  But  the  bare  capital  costs  no  more  now 
either,  when  there  are  no  parasites  at  it  ;  and  it's  just  para- 
sites that  we're  going  to  fight." 

Pelle  had  no  objection  to  the  cheap  money  ;  there  were 
still  plenty  of  difficulties  to  overcome.  If  they  got  on,  it 
would  not  be  long  before  private  speculation  declared  war 
on  him. 

They  agreed  that  they  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
agents  and  branches  ;  the  business  was  to  rest  entirely 
138 


DAYBREAK  139 

upon  itself  and  communicate  directly  with  the  consumers. 
What  was  made  in  the  workshop  should  merely  cover  the 
expenses  of  the  shop  above,  the  rest  of  the  surplus  being 
divided  among  the  workmen. 

"  According  to  what  rules  ?  "  asked  Brun,  with  a 
searching  glance  at  Pelle. 

"Equal!"  he  answered  without  hesitation.  "We 
won't  have  anything  to  do  with  agreements.  We  made  a 
great  mistake,  when  we  began  the  Movement,  in  giving 
in  to  the  agreement  system  instead  of  doing  away  with 
it  altogether.  It  has  increased  the  inequality.  Every  one 
that  works  has  a  right  to  live." 

"  Do  you  think  the  capable  workman  will  submit  to 
sharing  equally  with  those  that  are  less  capable  ?  "  asked 
Brun  doubtfully. 

"  He  must  learn  to  !  "  said  Pelle  firmly.  "  How  could 
he  otherwise  maintain  that  all  work  is  of  equal  value  ?  " 

"  Is  that  your  own  opinion  ?  " 

"  Most  decidedly.  I  see  no  reason,  for  instance,  for 
making  any  difference  between  a  doctor  and  a  sewer- 
cleaner.  It's  impossible  to  say  which  of  them  is  of  the 
greater  use  in  matters  of  health ;  the  point  is  that  each 
shall  do  what  he  can." 

"  Capital !  "  exclaimed  Brun.  "  Capital !  "  The  old 
philosopher  was  in  the  best  of  spirits.  Pelle  had  con- 
sidered him  awkward  and  unpractical,  and  was  astonished 
to  find  that  his  views  on  many  points  were  so  practical. 

"  It's  because  this  is  something  new,"  said  the  old  man, 
rubbing  his  hands.  "  I'd  done  with  the  old  before  I  came 
into  the  world ;  there  was  nothing  that  stimulated  me ; 
I  was  said  to  be  degenerated.  Yes  indeed  !  All  the  same 
the  old  bookworm's  going  to  show  his  ancestors  that  there's 
vigorous  blood  flowing  in  his  veins  too.  We  two  have 
found  the  place  from  which  the  world  can  be  rocked,  my 


140  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

dear  Pellc ;   I  think  we've  found  it !    And  now  we'll  set 
to  work." 

There  was  enough  to  do  indeed,  but  they  were  realities 
now,  and  Pelle  had  a  pleasant  feeling  of  once  more  having 
his  feet  upon  the  ground.  This  was  something  different 
from  riding  alone  through  space  upon  his  own  thought, 
always  in  danger  of  falling  down ;  here  he  opened  up  his 
road,  so  to  speak,  with  his  hands. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  present  owner  of  the 
business  should  carry  it  on  a  little  longer,  while  Pelle  made 
himself  at  home  in  it  all,  learned  to  understand  the  machinery, 
and  took  lessons  in  book-keeping.  He  was  always  busy, 
used  his  day  well  and  at  night  slept  like  a  log.  His  brain 
was  no  longer  in  a  perpetual  ferment  like  a  caldron,  for 
sleep  put  out  the  fire  beneath  it. 

The  essential  thing  was  that  they  should  be  a  party 
that  could  entirely  rely  upon  one  another,  and  Pelle  un- 
hesitatingly discharged  those  of  his  comrades  who  were  not 
suited  for  work  under  new  forms,  and  admitted  others. 

The  first  man  he  applied  to  was  Peter  Dreyer.  Ellen 
advised  him  not  to  do  so.  "  You  know  he's  on  bad  terms 
with  the  police,"  she  said.  "  You  may  have  difficulties 
enough  without  that."  But  Pelle  needed  some  one  beside 
him  who  was  able  to  look  at  things  from  a  new  point  of 
view,  and  quite  understood  what  was  essential ;  egoists 
were  of  no  good,  and  this  must  be  the  very  thing  for  a  man 
who  had  grown  restive  at  the  old  state  of  things. 

****** 

Pelle  had  come  home  from  his  book-keeping  course  to 
have  his  dinner.  Ellen  was  out  with  Boy  Comfort,  but 
she  had  left  the  meal  ready  for  him.  It  was  more  con- 
venient to  eat  it  in  the  kitchen,  so  he  sat  upon  the  kitchen 
table,  reading  a  book  on  the  keeping  of  accounts  while  he 
ate. 


DAYBREAK  141 

In  the  front  room  sat  Lasse  Fredrik,  learning  his  lessons 
with  fingers  in  both  ears  in  order  to  shut  out  the  world 
completely.  This  was  not  so  easy,  however,  for  Sister  had 
a  loose  tooth,  and  his  fingers  were  itching  to  get  at  it. 
Every  other  minute  he  broke  off  his  reading  to  offer 
her  something  or  other  for  leave  to  pull  it  out ;  but 
the  little  girl  always  made  the  same  answer  :  "  No,  father's 
going  to." 

He  then  gave  up  setting  about  it  honourably,  and  tried 
to  take  her  unawares  ;  and  at  last  he  persuaded  her  to  let 
him  tie  a  piece  of  cotton  round  the  tooth  and  fasten  it  to 
the  door-handle.  "  There  !  Now  we've  only  got  to  burn 
through  the  cotton,"  he  said,  lighting  a  piece  of  candle,  "  or 
else  father '11  never  be  able  to  get  the  tooth  out.  It  loosens 
it  tremendously  !  "  He  talked  on  about  all  kinds  of  things 
to  divert  her  attention,  like  a  conjuror,  and  then  suddenly 
brought  the  candle  close  to  her  nose,  so  that  she  quickly 
drew  back.  "  Look  here's  the  tooth  !  "  he  cried  trium- 
phantly, showing  it  to  Sister,  who,  however,  screamed  at 
the  top  of  her  voice. 

Pelle  heard  it  all,  but  quietly  went  on  eating.  They 
would  have  to  make  it  up  by  themselves.  It  was  not  long 
before  Lasse  Fredrik  was  applying  a  plaster  to  his  exploit ; 
he  talked  to  her  and  gave  her  her  toys  to  put  her  into  good 
humour  again.  When  Pelle  went  in,  they  were  both  lying 
on  the  floor  with  their  heads  under  the  bed.  They  had 
thrown  the  tooth  right  in  to  the  wall,  and  were  shouting 
together  : 

"  Mouse,  mouse ! 
Give  me  a  gold  tooth 
Instead  of  a  bone  tooth  ! " 

"  Are  you  going  to  do  anything  now,  father  ?  "  asked 
Sister,  running  up  to  him. 

Yes,  he  had  several  things  to  do. 


I42  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  You're  always  so  busy,"  she  said  sulkily.  "  Are  you 
going  to  keep  on  all  your  life  ?  " 

Pelle's  conscience  smote  him.  "  No,  I'm  not  very  busy," 
he  said  quickly.  "  I  can  stay  with  you  for  a  little.  What 
shall  we  do  ?  " 

Little  Anna  brought  her  large  rag  doll,  and  began  to 
drag  chairs  into  position. 

"  No,  that's  so  stuped  !  "  said  Lasse  Fredrik.  "  Tell  us 
about  the  time  you  minded  the  cows,  father  !  About  the 
big  mad  bull !  "  And  Pelle  told  them  stories  of  his  child- 
hood— about  the  bull  and  Father  Lasse,  the  farmer  of 
Stone  Farm  and  Uncle  Kalle  with  his  thirteen  children  and 
his  happy  disposition.  The  big  farm,  the  country  life,  the 
stone-quarry  and  the  sea — they  all  made  up  a  fairy-story 
for  the  two  children  of  the  pavement ;  the  boy  Pelle's 
battle  with  the  great  oxen  for  the  supremacy,  his  wonderful 
capture  of  the  twenty-five-ore  piece — each  incident  was 
more  exciting  than  the  one  before  it.  Most  exciting  of  all 
was  the  story  of  the  giant  Eric,  who  became  an  idiot  from 
a  blow.  "  That  was  in  those  days,"  said  Pelle,  nodding  ; 
"  it  wouldn't  happen  like  that  now." 

"  What  a  lot  you  have  seen  !  "  said  Ellen,  who  had 
come  home  while  they  were  talking,  and  was  sitting 
knitting.  "  I  can  hardly  understand  how  you  managed 
— a  little  fellow  like  that !  How  I  should  like  to  have 
seen  you ! " 

"  Father's  big  !  "  exclaimed  Sister  appreciatively.  Lasse 
Fredrik  was  a  little  more  reserved.  It  was  so  tiresome 
always  to  be  outdone,  and  he  would  like  to  have  found 
room  for  a  parenthesis  about  his  own  exploits.  "  I  say, 
there's  a  big  load  of  corn  in  the  cabman's  gateway,"  he 
said,  to  show  that  he  too  understood  country  life. 

"  That's  not  corn,"  said  Pelle  ;  "it's  hay — clover  hay. 
Don't  you  even  know  what  corn's  like  ?  " 


DAYBREAK  143 

"  We  call  it  corn,"  answered  the  boy  confidently,  "  and 
it  is  corn  too,  for  it  has  those  tassels  at  the  ends." 

"  The  ears,  you  mean  !  But  those  are  on  coarse  grass 
too,  and  besides,  corn  is  descended  from  grass.  Haven't 
you  ever  really  been  into  the  country  ?  " 

"  We  were  once  going,  and  meant  to  stay  a  whole  week, 
but  it  went  wrong  with  mother's  work.  I've  been  right 
out  to  the  Zoological  Gardens,  though." 

Pelle  suddenly  realised  how  much  the  children  must 
lose  by  living  their  life  in  the  city.  "  I  wonder  if  we 
shouldn't  think  about  moving  out  of  town,"  he  said  that 
evening  when  he  and  Ellen  were  alone. 

"  If  you  think  so,"  Ellen  answered.  She  herself  had 
no  desire  to  move  into  the  country,  indeed  she  had  an 
instinctive  horror  of  it  as  a  place  to  live  in.  She  did  not 
understand  it  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  children  either  ; 
there  were  so  many  children  who  got  on  capitally  in  town, 
and  he  surely  did  not  want  them  to  become  stupid  peasants  ! 
If  he  thought  so,  however,  she  supposed  it  was  right ;  he 
was  generally  right. 

Then  it  was  certainly  time  they  gave  notice ;  there 
was  not  much  more  than  a  month  to  April  removing-day. 

On  Sundays  they  packed  the  perambulator  and  made 
excursions  into  the  surrounding  country,  just  as  in  the  old 
days  when  Lasse  Fredrik  was  the  only  child  and  sat  in  his 
carriage  like  a  little  crown-prince.  Now  he  wheeled  the 
carriage  in  which  Boy  Comfort  sat  in  state  ;  and  when 
Sister  grew  tired  she  was  placed  upon  the  apron  with  her 
legs  hanging  down.  They  went  in  a  different  direction 
each  time,  and  came  to  places  that  even  Lasse  Fredrik 
did  not  know.  Close  in  to  the  back  of  the  town  lay  nice 
old  orchards,  and  in  the  midst  of  them  a  low  straw-thatched 
building,  which  had  evidently  once  been  the  dwelling-house 
on  a  farm.  They  came  upon  it  quite  by  chance  from  a 


144  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

side-road,  and  discovered  that  the  town  was  busy  building 
barracks  beyond  this  little  idyl  too,  and  shutting  it  in. 
When  the  sun  shone,  they  sat  down  on  a  bank  and  ate  their 
dinner ;  Pelle  and  Lasse  Fredrik  vied  with  one  another  in 
performing  feats  of  strength  on  the  withered  grass  ;  and 
Ellen  hunted  for  winter  boughs  to  decorate  the  house 
with. 

On  one  of  their  excursions  they  crossed  a  boggy  piece 
of  ground  on  which  grew  willow  copse  ;  behind  it  rose 
cultivated  land.  They  followed  the  field  roads  with  no 
definite  aim,  and  chanced  upon  an  uninhabited,  somewhat 
dilapidated  house,  which  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  rising 
ground  with  a  view  over  Copenhagen,  and  surrounded  by  a 
large,  overgrown  garden.  On  an  old,  rotten  board  stood 
the  words  "To  let,"  but  nothing  was  said  as  to  where 
application  was  to  be  made. 

"  That's  just  the  sort  of  house  you'd  like,"  said  Ellen, 
for  Pelle  had  stopped. 

"  It  would  be  nice  to  see  the  inside,"  he  said.  "  I 
expect  the  key's  to  be  got  at  the  farm  up  there." 

Lasse  Fredrik  ran  up  to  the  old  farmhouse  that  lay  a 
little  farther  in  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  to  ask.  A  little  while 
after  he  came  back  accompanied  by  the  farmer  himself,  a 
pale,  languid,  youngish  man,  who  wore  a  stand-up  collar 
and  was  smoking  a  cigar. 

The  house  belonged  to  the  hill  farm,  and  had  been  built 
for  the  parents  of  the  present  owner.  The  old  people  had 
had  the  odd  idea  of  calling  it  "  Daybreak,"  and  the  name 
was  painted  in  large  letters  on  the  east  gable.  The  house 
had  stood  empty  since  they  died  some  years  ago,  and  looked 
strangely  lifeless  ;  the  window-panes  were  broken  and  looked 
like  dead  eyes,  and  the  floors  were  covered  with  filth. 

"  No,  I  don't  like  it !  "  said  Ellen. 

Pelle  showed  her,  however,  that  the  house  was  good 


DAYBREAK  145 

enough,  the  doors  and  windows  fitted  well,  and  the  whole 
needed  only  to  be  overhauled.  There  were  four  rooms  and 
a  kitchen  on  the  ground  floor,  and  some  rooms  above,  one  of 
these  being  a  large  attic  facing  south.  The  garden  was 
more  than  an  acre  in  extent,  and  in  the  yard  was  an  out- 
house fitted  up  for  fowls  and  rabbits,  the  rent  was  four 
hundred  krones  (£22). 

Pelle  and  Lasse  Fredrik  went  all  over  it  again  and  again, 
and  made  the  most  wonderful  discoveries  ;  but  when  Pelle 
heard  the  price,  he  grew  serious.  "  Then  we  may  as  well 
give  it  up,"  he  said. 

Ellen  did  not  answer,  but  on  the  way  home  she  reckoned 
it  out  to  herself ;  she  could  see  how  disappointed  he  was. 
"  It'll  be  fifteen  krones  (175.)  more  a  month  than  we  now 
pay,"  she  suddenly  exclaimed.  "  But  supposing  we  could 
get  something  out  of  the  garden,  and  kept  fowls  !  Perhaps, 
too,  we  might  let  the  upper  floor  furnished." 

Pelle  looked  gratefully  at  her.  "I'll  undertake  to 
get  several  hundred  krones1  worth  out  of  the  garden," 
he  said. 

They  were  tired  out  when  they  got  home,  for  after  all 
it  was  a  long  way  out.  "  It's  far  away  from  everything," 
said  Ellen.  "  You'd  have  to  try  to  buy  a  second-hand 
bicycle."  Pelle  suddenly  understood  from  the  tone  of  her 
voice  that  she  herself  would  be  lonely  out  there. 

"  We'd  better  put  it  out  of  our  thoughts,"  he  said, 
"  and  look  for  a  three-roomed  flat  in  town.  The  other  is 
unpractical  after  all." 

When  he  returned  from  his  work  the  following  evening, 
Ellen  had  a  surprise  for  him.  "  I've  been  out  and  taken  the 
house,"  she  said.  "It's  not  so  far  from  the  tram  after  all, 
and  we  get  it  for  three  hundred  krones  (£16  los.)  the  first 
year.  The  man  promised  to  put  it  all  into  good  order  by 
removing-day.  Aren't  you  glad  ?  " 

VOL.  IV.  L 


146  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Yes,  if  only  you'll  be  happy  there,"  said  Pelle,  putting 
his  arms  round  her. 

The  children  were  delighted.  They  were  to  live  out 
there  in  the  bright  world  into  which  they  had  peeped,  as 
a  rule,  only  on  very  festive  occasions — to  wander  about 
there  every  day,  and  always  eat  the  food  they  brought  with 
them  in  the  open  air. 

A  week  later  they  moved  out.  Pelle  did  not  think  they 
could  afford  to  hire  men  to  do  the  removing.  He  borrowed 
a  four-wheeled  hand-cart — the  same  that  had  carried 
Ellen's  furniture  from  Chapel  Road — and  in  the  course  of 
Saturday  evening  and  Sunday  morning  he  and  Lasse  Fredrik 
took  out  the  things.  ' '  Queen  Theresa  "  gave  Ellen  a  helping 
hand  with  the  packing.  The  last  load  was  done  very  quickly, 
as  they  had  to  be  out  of  the  town  before  church-time.  They 
half  ran  with  it,  Boy  Comfort  having  been  placed  in  a  tub 
on  the  top  of  the  load.  Behind  came  Ellen  with  little  Anna, 
and  last  of  all  fat  "  Queen  Theresa  "  with  some  pot  plants 
that  had  to  be  taken  with  special  care.  It  was  quite  a 
procession. 

They  were  in  a  tremendous  bustle  all  day.  The  cleaning 
had  been  very  badly  done  and  Ellen  and  "  Queen  Theresa  " 
had  to  do  it  all  over  again.  Well,  it  was  only  what  they 
might  have  expected  !  When  you  moved  you  always  had 
to  clean  two  flats,  the  one  you  left  and  the  one  you  went 
into.  There  had  not  been  much  done  in  the  way  of  repairs 
either,  but  that  too  was  what  one  was  accustomed  to. 
Landlords  were  the  same  all  the  world  over.  There  was 
little  use  in  making  a  fuss  ;  they  were  there,  and  the  agree- 
ment was  signed.  Pelle  would  have  to  see  to  it  by  degrees. 

By  the  evening  the  house  was  so  far  in  order  that  it 
could  be  slept  in.  "  Now  we'll  stop  for  to-day,"  said 
Ellen.  "We  mustn't  forget  that  it's  Sunday."  They 
carried  chairs  out  into  the  garden  and  had  their  supper 


DAYBREAK  147 

there,  Pelle  having  laid  an  old  door  upon  a  barrel  for  a 
table.  Every  time  "  Queen  Theresa  "  leaned  forward  with 
her  elbows  on  the  table,  the  whole  thing  threatened  to 
upset,  and  then  she  screamed.  She  was  a  pastor's  daughter, 
and  her  surroundings  now  made  her  melancholy.  "  I 
haven't  sat  like  this  and  had  supper  out  of  doors  since  I 
ran  away  from  home  as  a  fifteen -year-old  girl,"  she  said, 
wiping  her  eyes. 

"  Poor  soul !  "  said  Ellen,  when  they  had  gone  with  her 
along  the  road  to  the  tram.  "  She's  certainly  gone  through 
a  good  deal.  She's  got  no  one  to  care  about  her  except 
us." 

"  Is  she  really  a  pastor's  daughter  ?  "  asked  Pelle. 
"Women  of  that  kind  always  pretend  to  be  somebody 
of  a  better  class  who  has  been  unfortunate." 

"  Oh  yes,  it's  true  enough.  She  ran  away  from  home 
because  she  couldn't  stand  it.  She  wasn't  allowed  to 
laugh,  but  had  to  be  always  praying  and  thinking  about 
God.  Her  parents  have  cursed  her." 

They  went  for  a  little  walk  behind  the  farm  to  see  the 
evening  sky.  Ellen  was  very  talkative,  and  already  had 
a  thousand  plans  in  her  head.  She  was  going  to  plant  a 
great  many  fruit-bushes  and  make  a  kitchen-garden ; 
and  they  would  keep  a  number  of  fowls  and  rabbits.  Next 
summer  she  would  have  early  vegetables  that  could  be 
sold  in  town. 

Pelle  was  only  half  attending  as  he  walked  beside  her 
and  gazed  at  the  glowing  evening  sky,  which,  with  its  long 
fiery  lines,  resembled  a  distant  prairie-fire.  There  was 
quiet  happiness  within  him  and  around  him.  He  was  in 
a  solemn  mood,  and  felt  as  though,  after  an  absence  of 
many  years,  he  had  once  more  entered  the  land  of  his 
childhood.  There  was  a  familiar  feeling  in  the  soft  pressure 
of  the  earth  beneath  his  feet ;  it  was  like  a  caress  that  made 


148  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

him  strong  and  gave  him  new  life.  Here,  with  his  feet  on 
the  soil,  he  felt  himself  invincible. 

"  You're  so  silent !  "  said  Ellen,  taking  his  arm  so  as  to 
walk  beside  him  upon  the  dike. 

"  I  feel  as  if  you  had  just  become  my  bride,"  he  said, 
taking  her  into  his  arms. 


XI 

BRUN  came  in  every  morning  before  he  went  to  the  library 
to  see  how  the  work  was  progressing ;  he  was  greatly  in- 
terested in  it,  and  began  to  look  younger.  He  was  always 
urging  Pelle  on,  and  suggesting  plans  for  extensions.  "  If 
money's  wanted,  just  let  me  know,"  he  said.  He  longed  to 
see  the  effect  of  this  new  system,  and  was  always  asking 
Pelle  whether  he  noticed  anything.  When  he  heard  that 
the  boot  and  shoe  manufacturers  had  held  a  meeting  to 
decide  what  should  be  their  attitude  to  the  undertaking, 
he  laughed  and  wanted  to  turn  on  more  steam,  quite 
indifferent  to  what  it  might  cost.  The  old  philosopher  had 
become  as  impatient  as  a  child  ;  an  interest  had  come  into 
his  old-man's  existence,  and  he  was  afraid  of  not  getting 
the  whole  of  it.  "  It's  all  very  well  for  you  to  take  your 
time,"  he  said,  "  but  remember  that  I'm  old  and  sickly 
into  the  bargain." 

He  treated  Pelle  as  a  son,  and  generally  said  "  thou  " 
to  him. 

Pelle  held  back.  So  much  depended  upon  the  success 
of  this  venture,  and  he  watched  it  anxiously ;  it  was  as 
though  he  had  been  chosen  to  question  the  future.  Within 
the  Movement  his  undertaking  was  followed  with  attention  ; 
the  working-men's  papers  wrote  about  it,  but  awaited  results. 
There  were  opinions  for  and  against. 

He  wanted  to  give  a  good  answer,  and  decided  on  his 
measures  with  much  care  ;  he  immediately  dismissed  such 
149 


150  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

workmen  as  were  not  suited  to  the  plan.  It  made  bad 
blood,  but  there  was  no  help  for  that.  He  was  busy 
everywhere,  and  where  he  could  not  go  himself,  Lasse 
Fredrik  went,  for  the  boy  had  given  up  his  other  occupa- 
tions and  helped  in  the  shop  and  ran  errands.  Ellen 
wanted  to  help  too.  "  We  can  keep  a  servant,  and  then 
I'll  learn  book-keeping  and  keep  the  accounts  and  mind 
the  shop." 

Pelle  would  not  agree  to  this,  however.  He  was  not 
gsing  to  have  her  working  for  their  maintenance  any  more. 
A  woman's  place  was  with  her  children  ! 

"  Nowadays  the  women  take  part  in  all  kinds  of  work," 
Ellen  urged. 

It  did  not  matter  ;  he  had  his  own  opinion  on  the  subject. 
It  was  enough  that  the  men  should  do  the  producing. 
Would  she  have  them  stand  on  the  pavement  and  watch 
the  women  doing  the  work  ?  It  was  very  possible  it  did 
not  sound  liberal-minded,  but  he  did  not  care.  Women 
were  like  beautiful  flowers,  whatever  people  said  about 
their  being  man's  equal.  They  wore  their  happiness  off 
when  they  had  to  work  for  their  living  ;  he  had  seen  enough 
to  know  that. 

She  did  not  like  standing  and  looking  on  while  the  two 
men  were  so  busy,  so  she  attacked  the  garden,  and  sowed 
herbs  and  planted  cabbage  in  the  beds  that  lay  like  thick 
down  quilts  upon  the  earth ;  and  when  it  happened  that 
things  came  up,  she  was  happy.  She  had  bought  a  garden- 
ing book,  and  puzzled  her  head  about  the  various  kinds 
and  their  treatment.  Pelle  came  to  her  assistance  after 
working  hours,  and  everything  that  he  handled  flourished. 
This  made  Ellen  a  little  angry.  She  did  exactly  what  he 
did,  but  it  was  just  as  if  the  plants  made  a  difference 
between  them.  "  I've  got  the  countryman's  hand,"  he 
said,  laughing. 


DAYBREAK  151 

All  Sunday  they  were  busy.  The  whole  family  was  in 
the  garden,  Lasse  Fredrik  digging,  Pelle  pruning  the  espalier 
round  the  garden  door,  and  Ellen  tying  it  up.  The  children 
were  trying  to  help  everybody  and  were  mostly  a  hindrance. 
One  or  other  of  them  was  always  doing  something  wrong, 
treading  on  the  beds  or  pulling  up  the  plants.  How 
extraordinarily  stupid  they  were  !  Regular  town  children  ! 
They  could  not  even  understand  when  they  were  told  ! 
Pelle  could  not  comprehend  it,  and  sometimes  nearly  lost 
patience. 

One  day  when  little  Anna  came  to  him  unsuspectingly 
to  show  him  a  flowering  branch  of  an  apple-tree  which  she 
had  broken  off,  he  was  angry  and  took  her  roughly  by  the 
arm  ;  but  when  he  saw  the  frightened  expression  in  her 
face,  he  remembered  the  man  with  the  strange  eyes,  who 
had  taught  him  in  his  childhood  to  manage  the  cattle 
without  using  anything  but  his  hands,  and  he  was  ashamed 
of  himself.  He  took  the  little  ones  by  the  hand,  went 
round  the  garden  with  them  and  told  them  about  the  trees 
and  bushes,  which  were  alive  just  like  themselves,  and  only 
wanted  to  do  all  they  could  for  the  two  children.  The 
branches  were  their  arms  and  legs,  so  they  could  imagine 
how  dreadful  it  was  to  pull  them  off.  Sister  turned  pale 
and  said  nothing,  but  Boy  Comfort,  who  at  last  had  decided 
to  open  his  mouth  and  had  become  quite  a  chatterbox, 
jabbered  away  and  stuck  out  his  little  stomach  like  a 
drummer.  He  was  a  sturdy  little  fellow,  and  Ellen's  eyes 
followed  him  proudly  as  he  went  round  the  garden. 

The  knowledge  that  everything  was  alive  had  a  remark- 
able effect  upon  the  two  children.  They  always  went  about 
hand  in  hand,  and  kept  carefully  to  the  paths.  All  round 
them  the  earth  was  breaking  and  curious  things  coming  up 
out  of  it.  The  beans  had  a  bucket  turned  over  them  to 
protect  them,  and  the  lettuces  put  up  folded  hands  as  if 


152  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

they  were  praying  for  fine  weather.  Every  morning  when 
the  children  made  their  round  of  the  garden,  new  things 
had  come  up.  "  'Ook,  'ook !  "  exclaimed  Boy  Comfort, 
pointing  to  the  beds.  They  stood  at  a  safe  distance  and 
talked  to  one  another  about  the  new  wonders,  bending 
over  with  their  hands  upon  their  backs  as  if  afraid  that  the 
new  thing  would  snatch  at  their  fingers.  Sometimes  Boy 
Comfort's  chubby  hand  would  come  out  involuntarily  and 
want  to  take  hold  of  things  ;  but  he  withdrew  it  in  alarm 
as  if  he  had  burnt  himself,  saying  "  Ow !  "  and  then  the 
two  children  would  run  as  fast  as  they  could  up  to  the  house. 
For  them  the  garden  was  a  wonder-world  full  of  delights 
• — and  full  of  terrors.  They  soon  became  familiar  with  the 
plants  in  their  own  way,  and  entered  into  a  kind  of  mystic 
companionship  with  them,  met  them  in  a  friendly  way  and 
exchanged  opinions — like  beings  from  different  worlds, 
meeting  on  the  threshold.  There  was  always  something 
mysterious  about  their  new  friends,  which  kept  them  at  a 
distance ;  they  did  not  give  much  information  about 
themselves.  When  they  were  asked:  "Who  called 
you  ?  "  they  answered  quickly  :  "  Mother  Ellen  !  "  But  if 
they  were  asked  what  it  looked  like  down  in  the  earth; 
they  made  no  answer  whatever.  The  garden  continued 
to  be  an  inexhaustible  world  to  the  children,  no  matter 
how  much  they  trotted  about  in  it.  Every  day  they  went 
on  new  journeys  of  discovery  in  under  elder  and  thorn 
bushes ;  there  were  even  places  which  they  had  not  yet 
got  at,  and  others  into  which  they  did  not  venture  at  all. 
They  went  near  to  them  many  times  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  and  peeped  over  the  gooseberry  bushes  into  the 
horrible  darkness  that  sat  in  there  like  an  evil  being  and 
had  no  name.  Out  in  the  brilliant  sunshine  on  the  path 
they  stood  and  challenged  it,  Sister  spitting  until  her  chin 
and  pinafore  were  wet,  and  Boy  Comfort  laboriously 


DAYBREAK  153 

picking  up  stones  and  throwing  them  in.  He  was  so  fat 
that  he  could  not  bend  down,  but  had  to  squat  on  his  heels 
whenever  he  wanted  to  pick  up  anything.  And  then 
suddenly  they  would  rush  away  to  the  house  in  a  panic 
of  fear. 

It  was  not  necessary  to  be  a  child  to  follow  the  life  in 
the  garden.  A  wonderful  power  of  growing  filled  every- 
thing, and  in  the  night  it  crackled  and  rustled  out  in  the 
moonlight,  branches  stretched  themselves  in  fresh  growth, 
the  sap  broke  through  the  old  bark  in  the  form  of  flowers 
and  new  "  eyes."  It  was  as  though  Pelle  and  Ellen's 
happy  zeal  had  been  infectious  ;  the  half-stifled  fruit-trees 
that  had  not  borne  for  many  years  revived  and  answered 
the  gay  voices  by  blossoming  luxuriantly.  It  was  a  race 
between  human  beings  and  plants  as  to  who  should  accom- 
plish the  most,  and  between  the  plants  themselves  as  to 
which  could  make  the  best  show.  "  The  spring  is  lavishing 
its  flowers  and  green  things  upon  us,"  said  Pelle.  He  had 
never  seen  a  nest  that  was  so  beautiful  as  his ;  he  had  at 
last  made  a  home. 

It  was  pleasant  here.  Virginia  creeper  and  purple 
clematis  covered  the  whole  front  of  the  house  and  hung 
down  before  the  garden  door,  where  Ellen  liked  to  sit  with 
her  work,  keeping  an  eye  on  the  little  ones  playing  on  the 
grass,  and  where  she  liked  best  to  sit  with  Pelle  on  Sundays, 
when  the  Copenhagen  families  came  wandering  past  on 
their  little  country  excursions.  They  often  stopped  outside 
the  hedge  and  exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  what  a  lovely  home  !  " 
****** 

The  work  in  Pelle's  workshop  began,  as  in  all  other 
places,  at  six  in  the  morning  ;  but  it  stopped  at  four,  so 
that  those  who  cared  about  it  could  easily  make  something 
of  the  day.  Pelle  had  reduced  the  working  hours  to  nine, 
and  dared  not  venture  any  further  for  the  present. 


154  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Some  of  the  hands  liked  this  arrangement,  and  employed 
the  afternoon  in  going  out  with  their  wives  and  children  ; 
but  others  would  rather  have  had  an  hour  longer  in  bed 
in  the  morning.  One  day  the  latter  came  and  declared 
that  now  they  were  in  the  majority  and  would  have  it 
changed. 

"  I  can't  agree  to  that,"  answered  Pelle.  "  Being  early 
up  is  the  workman's  privilege,  and  I'm  not  going  to  give  it 
up." 

"  But  we've  taken  the  votes  on  it,"  they  said.  "  This 
is  a  democratic  institution,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  I've  taken  no  oath  to  the  vote,"  Pelle  answered 
quietly,  "  and  in  the  mean  time  I  should  advise  those  who 
are  dissatisfied  with  the  conditions  here  to  try  somewhere 
else." 

There  was  always  something  like  this  going  on,  but  he 
did  not  take  it  for  more  than  it  was  worth.  They  had 
acquired  consciousness  of  their  power,  but  most  of  them 
had  not  yet  discovered  its  aim.  They  used  it  blindly,  in 
childish  pleasure  at  seeing  it  unfold,  like  boys  in  unfurling 
their  banner,  tyrannised  a  little  by  way  of  a  change,  and  took 
their  revenge  for  the  subjection  of  old  times  by  systematically 
demanding  the  opposite  to  what  they  had.  They  reeled 
a  little  ;  the  miracle  of  the  voting-paper  had  gone  to  their 
heads.  It  was  an  intelligible  transition  ;  the  feeling  of 
responsibility  would  get  hold  of  them  in  time. 

Another  day  two  of  the  most  skilful  workmen  came  and 
asked  to  have  piece-work  introduced  again.  "  We  won't 
stand  toiling  to  make  money  for  our  comrades,"  they 
said. 

"  Are  they  idle  ?  "  asked  Pelle. 

"  No,  but  we  work  quicker." 

"  Then  they're  more  thorough  on  the  whole.  The  one 
generally  balances  the  other." 


DAYBREAK  155 

"  That's  all  very  well,  but  it  doesn't  benefit  us." 

"  It  benefits  the  consumers,  and  under  the  new  con- 
ditions that's  the  same  thing.  We  must  maintain  the 
principle  that  all  who  do  their  duty  are  equally  good ;  it's 
in  our  own  interests." 

They  were  satisfied  for  the  time.  They  were  two 
clever  fellows,  and  it  was  only  that  they  had  not  got  hold 
of  the  new  feature  in  the  arrangement. 

In  this  way  there  was  considerable  trouble.  The  work- 
men were  short-sighted,  and  saw  only  from  their  hand  to 
their  own  mouth.  Impatience  had  also  something  to  do 
with  it.  They  had  shorter  hours  and  higher  wages,  but 
had  not  as  much  to  do  as  in  other  places.  It  was  new  of 
course,  and  had  to  answer  to  their  dreams  ;  but  there 
would  be  no  fortunes  to  be  made  out  of  it  as  Pelle  was 
working  it.  He  was  a  little  more  precise  than  was 
necessary  when  you  were  pressed  on  all  sides  by  vulgar 
competition. 

There  were,  for  instance,  still  a  number  of  people  who 
kept  to  the  good  old  handsewn  boots  and  shoes,  and 
willingly  paid  half  as  much  again  for  them.  A  good  many 
small  shoemakers  availed  themselves  of  this  by  advertising 
handsewn  foot-wear,  and  then  passed  the  measures  on  to  a 
factory.  It  was  a  good  business  for  both  factory  and 
shoemaker,  but  Pelle  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  such 
transactions.  He  put  his  trade-mark  on  the  sole  of  every- 
thing that  went  out  of  his  workshop. 

Pelle  took  all  this  with  dignified  calmness.  What 
right  had  he  to  demand  perspicuity  of  these  people  ?  It 
was  his  business  to  educate  them  to  it.  If  only  they  were 
willing,  he  was  satisfied.  Some  day  he  supposed  he  would 
take  them  so  far  that  they  would  be  able  to  take  over  the 
business  jointly,  or  make  it  self-supporting ;  but  until 
then  they  would  have  to  fall  in  with  his  plans. 


156  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Part  of  a  great,  far-off  dream  was  nevertheless  being 
realised  in  his  undertaking,  modest  though  it  was  at  present ; 
and  if  it  were  successful,  the  way  to  a  new  age  for  the  petty 
tradesmen  was  open.  And  what  was  of  still  more  import- 
ance, his  own  home  was  growing  through  this  work.  He 
had  found  the  point  where  the  happiness  of  the  many  lay 
in  the  lengthening  of  his  own ;  he  had  got  the  right  way 
now  !  Sometimes  in  the  evening  after  a  troublesome  day 
he  felt  a  little  tired  of  the  difficulties  ;  but  when  he  bicycled 
down  towards  the  town  in  the  early  morning,  while  the  mists 
of  night  drifted  across  the  fields  and  the  lark  sang  above 
his  head,  he  was  always  in  good  spirits.  Then  he  could 
follow  the  consequences  of  his  labour,  and  see  the  good 
principles  victorious  and  the  work  growing.  Kindred 
enterprises  sprang  up  in  other  parts  of  the  town,  in  other 
towns,  still  farther  out.  In  the  far  distance  he  could  see 
that  all  production  was  in  the  hands  of  the  working-men 
themselves. 

Peter  Dreyer  supported  him  like  a  good  comrade,  and 
took  a  good  deal  of  the  worry  off  his  shoulders.  He  un- 
selfishly put  all  his  strength  into  it,  but  he  did  not  share 
Pelle's  belief  in  the  enormous  results  that  would  come  from 
it.  "  But,  dear  me,  this  is  capitalistic  too  !  "  he  said — 
"  socialist  capitalism  !  Just  look  up  to  the  pavement  ! 
there  goes  a  man  with  no  soles  to  his  shoes,  and  his  feet 
are  wet,  but  all  the  same  he  doesn't  come  down  here  and 
get  new  shoes,  for  we  want  money  for  them  just  like  all  the 
others,  and  those  who  need  our  work  most  simply  have 
none.  That  thing  " — he  went  on,  giving  a  kick  to  one  of 
the  machines— " turns  ten  men  into  the  street!  There 
you  have  the  whole  thing  !  " 

Pelle  defended  his  machines,  but  Peter  would  not  give 
in.  "  The  whole  thing  should  have  been  altered  first," 
he  said  angrily.  "  As  it  is,  they  are  inventions  of  the  devil ! 


DAYBREAK  157 

The  machines  have  come  a  day  or  two  too  early,  and  point 
their  mouths  at  us,  like  captured  cannons  !  " 

"  The  machines  make  shoes  for  ten  times  as  many 
people  as  we  could  make  for  with  our  hands,"  said  Pelle, 
"  and  that  can  hardly  be  called  a  misfortune.  It's  only 
the  distribution  that's  all  wrong." 

Peter  Dreyer  shrugged  his  shoulders ;  he  would  not 
discuss  the  question  of  distribution  any  more.  If  they 
meant  to  do  anything  to  alter  it  he  was  willing  to  help. 
There  had  been  enough  nonsense  talked  about  it.  Those 
who  had  money  could  buy  up  all  that  they  made,  while 
the  barefooted  would  be  no  better  off  than  before.  It 
was  a  deadlock.  Did  he  think  it  would  revolutionise  the 
world  if  every  man  received  the  entire  proceeds  of  his 
work  ?  That  only  meant  justice  in  the  existing  conditions, 
so  long  as  diamonds  continued  to  be  more  valuable  than 
bread.  "  I  don't  see  that  those  who  happen  to  have  work 
should  have  a  better  right  to  live  than  those  who  can't 
get  any,"  he  said  wrathfully.  "  Or  perhaps  you  don't 
know  the  curse  of  unemployment !  Look  at  them 
wandering  about  in  thousands,  summer  and  winter,  a  whole 
army  of  shadows  !  The  community  provides  for  them  so 
that  they  can  just  hang  together.  Good  heavens,  that 
isn't  helping  the  poor,  with  all  respect  to  the  honourable 
workman  !  Let  him  keep  his  vote,  since  it  amuses  him  ! 
It's  an  innocent  pleasure.  Just  think  if  he  demanded 
proper  food  instead  of  it !  " 

Yes,  Pelle  was  well  enough  acquainted  with  the  great 
hunger  reserve  ;  he  had  very  nearly  been  transferred  into 
it  himself.  But  here  he  nevertheless  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  bottom.  There  was  a  peaceable  strength  in  what  he 
was  doing  that  might  carry  them  on  a  long  way.  Peter 
Dreyer  acknowledged  it  himself  by  working  so  faithfully 
with  him.  It  was  only  that  he  would  not  admit  it. 


158  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

At  first  they  had  to  stand  a  good  deal,  but  by  degrees 
Pelle  learned  to  turn  things  off.  Peter,  who  was  generally 
so  good  and  amenable,  spoke  in  an  angry,  vexed  tone  when 
the  conversation  touched  upon  social  conditions  ;  it  was 
as  though  he  was  at  the  end  of  his  patience.  Though  he 
earned  a  very  good  amount,  he  was  badly  dressed  and 
looked  as  if  he  did  not  get  sufficient  food ;  his  breakfast, 
which  he  ate  together  with  the  others  in  the  workshop, 
generally  consisted  of  bread  and  margarine,  and  he  quenched 
his  thirst  at  the  water-tap.  At  first  the  others  made  fun 
of  his  prison  fare,  but  he  soon  taught  them  to  mind  their 
own  business  :  it  was  not  safe  to  offend  him.  Part  of  his 
earnings  he  used  for  agitation,  and  his  comrades  said  that 
he  lived  with  a  humpbacked  woman  and  her  mother.  He 
himself  admitted  no  one  into  his  confidence,  but  grew  more 
and  more  reticent.  Pelle  knew  that  he  lived  in  one  of  the 
Vesterbro  back  streets,  but  did  not  know  his  address. 
When  he  stood  silent  at  his  work,  his  expression  was  always 
gloomy,  sometimes  terribly  sad.  He  seemed  to  be  always 
in  pain. 

The  police  were  always  after  him.  Pelle  had  once  or 
twice  received  a  hint  not  to  employ  him,  but  firmly  refused 
to  submit  to  any  interference  in  his  affairs.  It  was  then 
arbitrarily  decided  that  Peter  Dreyer  should  report  himself 
to  the  authorities  every  week. 

"  I  won't  do  it !  "  he  said.  "  It's  quite  illegal.  I've 
only  been  punished  for  political  offences,  and  I've  been  so 
careful  that  they  shouldn't  be  able  to  get  at  me  for  any 
formal  mistake,  and  here  they're  having  this  triumph !  I 
won't !  "  He  spoke  quietly  and  without  excitement,  but 
his  hands  shook. 

Pelle  tried  an  appeal  to  his  unselfishness.  "Do  it  for 
my  sake  then,"  he  said.  "  If  you  don't  they'll  shut  you 
up,  and  you  know  I  can't  do  without  you." 


DAYBREAK  159 

"  Would  you  go  and  report  yourself  then  if  you  were 
told  to  ?  "  Peter  asked. 

"Yes.  No  one  need  be  ashamed  of  submitting  to 
superior  brute  force." 

So  he  went.  But  it  cost  him  an  enormous  effort,  and 
on  that  day  in  the  week  it  was  better  to  leave  him  alone. 


XII 

MARIE'S  fate  lay  no  longer  like  a  heavy  burden  upon  Pelle  ; 
time  had  taken  the  bitterness  out  of  it.  He  could  recall 
without  self-reproach  his  life  with  her  and  her  two  brothers 
in  the  "  Ark,"  and  often  wondered  what  had  become  of  the 
latter.  No  one  could  give  him  any  information  about 
them. 

One  day,  during  the  midday  rest,  he  went  on  his  bicycle 
out  to  Morten  with  a  message  from  Ellen.  In  Morten's 
sitting-room,  a  hunched-up  figure  was  sitting  with  its  back 
to  the  window,  staring  down  at  the  floor.  His  clothes  hung 
loosely  upon  him,  and  his  thin  hair  was  colourless.  He  slowly 
raised  a  wasted  face  as  he  looked  towards  the  door.  Pelle 
had  already  recognised  him  from  his  maimed  right  hand, 
which  had  only  the  thumb  and  one  joint  of  the  forefinger. 
He  no  longer  hid  it  away,  but  let  it  lie  upon  his  thin  knee. 

"  Why,  good-day,  Peter  !  "  exclaimed  Pelle  in  surprise, 
holding  out  his  hand  to  take  the  other's  left  hand.  Peter 
drew  the  hand  out  of  his  pocket  and  held  it  out.  It  was  a 
dead,  maimed  lump  with  some  small  protuberances  like 
rudiments  of  knuckles,  that  Pelle  found  in  his  hand.  Peter 
looked  into  his  face  without  moving  a  muscle  of  his  own, 
and  there  was  only  a  little  gleam  in  his  eyes  when  Pelle 
started. 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  starting  for  ?  "  he  said 
dryly.  "  I  should  think  any  one  might  have  known  that 
a  fellow  couldn't  mind  a  shearing-machine  with  one  hand. 
160 


DAYBREAK  161 

I  knew  it  just  as  well  as  everybody  else  in  the  factory,  and 
expected  it  every  day  ;  and  at  last  I  had  to  shut  my  eyes. 
Confound  it,  I  often  thought,  won't  there  soon  be  an  end 
to  it  ?  And  then  one  day  there  it  was  !  " 

Pelle  shivered.  "  Didn't  you  get  any  accident  in- 
surance ?  "  he  asked  in  order  to  say  something. 

"  Of  course  I  did !  The  whole  council  gathered  on 
account  of  my  humble  self,  and  I  was  awarded  three 
thousand  krones  (£170)  as  entirely  invalided.  Well,  the 
master  possessed  nothing  and  had  never  insured  me,  so  it 
never  got  beyond  the  paper.  But  anyhow  it's  a  great 
advance  upon  the  last  time,  isn't  it  ?  Our  party  has 
accomplished  something !  "  He  looked  mockingly  at  Pelle. 
"  You  ought  to  give  a  cheer  for  paper  reforms  !  " 

Peter  was  a  messenger  and  a  kind  of  secretary  in  a 
revolutionary  association  for  young  men.  He  had  taught 
himself  to  read  and  sat  with  other  young  men  studying 
anarchistic  literature.  The  others  took  care  of  him  like 
brothers  ;  but  it  was  a  marvel  that  he  had  not  gone  to  the 
dogs.  He  was  nothing  but  skin  and  bone,  and  resembled 
a  fanatic  that  is  almost  consumed  by  his  own  fire.  His 
intelligence  had  never  been  much  to  boast  of,  but  there 
were  not  many  difficulties  in  the  problem  that  life  had  set 
him.  He  hated  with  a  logic  that  was  quite  convincing. 
The  strong  community  had  passed  a  sham  law,  which  was 
not  even  liable  for  the  obligations  that  it  admitted  that  it 
had  with  regard  to  him.  He  had  done  with  it  now  and 
belonged  to  the  destructionists. 

He  had  come  up  to  Morten  to  ask  him  to  give  a 
reading  at  the  Club.  "It's  not  because  we  appreciate 
authors — you  mustn't  imagine  that,"  he  said  with  a 
gloomy  look.  "  They  live  upon  us  and  enjoy  a  meaning- 
less respect  for  it.  It's  only  manual  labour  that  deserves 
to  be  honoured  ;  everything  else  sponges  on  us.  I'm  only 

VOL.  IV.  M 


162  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

telling  you  so  that  you  shan't  come  imagining  something 
different." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Morten,  smiling.  "  It's  always  nice 
to  know  what  you're  valued  at.  And  still  you  think  you 
can  make  use  of  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you're  one  of  the  comparatively  better  ones  among 
those  who  work  to  maintain  the  capitalists  ;  but  we're 
agreed  at  the  Club  that  you're  not  a  real  proletariat  writer, 
you're  far  too  much  elaborated.  There  have  never  been 
proletariat  writers,  and  it's  of  no  consequence  either,  for 
entertainment  shouldn't  be  made  out  of  misery.  It's  very 
likely  you'll  hear  all  about  that  up  there." 

"  That's  all  right.  I'll  be  sure  to  come,"  answered 
Morten. 

"  And  if  you'll  write  us  a  cantata  for  our  anniversary 
festival — it's  the  day  of  the  great  Russian  massacre — I'll 
see  that  it's  accepted.  But  it  mustn't  be  the  usual  halle- 
lujah !  " 

"I'm  glad  I  met  you,"  he  said  to  Pelle  with  his  unchang- 
ing expression  of  gloom.  "  Have  you  seen  anything  of 
Karl  ?  " 

"  No,  where  is  he  ?  "  asked  Pelle  eagerly. 

"  He's  a  swell  now.  He's  got  a  business  in  Adel  Street ; 
but  he  won't  enjoy  it  long." 

"  Why  not  ?     Is  there  anything  wrong  with  his  affairs  ?  " 

"  Nothing  more  than  that  some  day  we'll  pull  the  whole 
thing  down  upon  all  your  heads.  There'll  soon  be  quite  a 
number  of  us.  I  say,  you  might  speak  one  evening  in  our 
association,  and  tell  us  something  about  your  prison  life. 
I  think  it  would  interest  them.  We  don't  generally  have 
outsiders,  for  we  speak  for  ourselves  ;  but  I  don't  think 
there'd  be  any  difficulty  in  getting  you  introduced." 

Pelle  promised. 

"He's  a  devil-may-care  fellow,  isn't  he  ?  "  exclaimed 


DAYBREAK  163 

Morten  when  he  had  shut  the  door  on  Peter,  "  but  he's  no 
fool.  Did  you  notice  that  he  never  asked  for  anything  ? 
They  never  do.  When  they're  hungry  they  go  up  to  the 
first  person  they  meet  and  say  :  '  Let  me  have  something 
to  eat !  '  It's  all  the  same  to  them  what's  put  into  their 
mouths  so  long  as  it's  satisfying,  and  they  never  thank 
gratefully.  Nothing  affects  them.  They're  men  who  put 
the  thief  above  the  beggar.  I  don't  dislike  it  really  ; 
there's  a  new  tone  in  it.  Perhaps  our  well-behaved  rumi- 
nant's busy  doing  away  with  one  stomach  and  making  up 
the  spare  material  into  teeth  and  claws." 

"If  only  they'd  come  forward  and  do  work !"  said 
Pelle.  "  Strong  words  don't  accomplish  much." 

"  How's  it  going  with  your  peaceable  revolution  ?  " 
asked  Morten  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye.  "  Do  you  see  any 
progress  in  the  work  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  it's  slow  but  sure.  Rome  wasn't  built  in  a 
day.  I  didn't  think  though  that  you  were  interested 
in  it." 

"  I  think  you're  on  the  right  tack,  Pelle,"  answered 
Morten  seriously.  "But  let  the  young  ones  light  the  fire 
underneath,  and  it'll  go  all  the  quicker.  That  new 
eventualities  crop  up  in  this  country  is  no  disadvantage  ; 
the  governing  body  may  very  well  be  made  aware  that 
there's  gunpowder  under  their  seats.  It'll  immensely 
strengthen  their  sense  of  responsibility  !  Would  you  like 
to  see  Johanna  ?  She's  been  wanting  very  much  to  see 
you.  She's  ill  again  unfortunately." 

"  Ellen  sent  me  out  to  propose  that  she  should  come  to 
stay  with  us  in  the  country.  She  thinks  the  child  must  be 
a  great  trouble  to  you  and  cannot  be  properly  looked  after 
here  either." 

"It's  very  kind  of  your  wife  to  think  of  it,  but  hasn't 
she  enough  to  do  already  ?  " 


164  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Oh,  Ellen  can  manage  a  great  deal,"  said  Pelle  heartily. 
"  You  would  be  giving  her  a  pleasure." 

"  Then  I'll  say  '  Thank  you  '  for  the  offer,"  exclaimed 
Morten.  "  It'll  be  a  great  relief  to  me,  if  only  she  can  stand 
the  moving.  It  isn't  that  she  gives  me  any  trouble  now, 
for  we  get  on  capitally  together.  Johanna  is  good  and 
manageable,  really  a  splendid  character  in  spite  of  her 
spoiling.  You  won't  have  any  difficulty  with  her.  And 
I  think  it'll  be  good  for  her  to  be  away  from  me  here,  and 
be  somewhere  where  there's  a  woman  to  see  to  her — and 
children.  She  doesn't  get  much  attention  here. 

They  went  in  to  her  and  found  her  asleep,  her  pale  face 
covered  with  large  drops  of  moisture.  "  It's  exhaustion," 
whispered  Morten.  "  She's  not  got  much  strength  yet. 
Their  presence  made  her  sleep  disturbed,  and  she  tossed 
from  side  to  side  and  then,  suddenly  opening  her  eyes, 
gazed  about  her  with  an  expression  of  wild  terror.  In  a 
moment  she  recognised  them  and  smiled ;  and  raising 
herself  a  little  she  held  out  both  her  hands  to  Pelle  with  a 
charming  expression  of  childish  coquetry. 

"  Tell  me  about  the  house  out  there  and  Boy  Comfort," 
she  said,  making  room  for  him  on  the  edge  of  the  bed. 
"  It's  so  tiresome  here,  and  Mr.  Morten's  so  serious." 
And  she  threw  a  glance  of  defiance  at  him. 

"  Is  he  ?  "  said  Pelle.  "  That  must  be  because  he  writes 
books." 

"  No,  but  I  must  keep  up  a  little  dignity,"  said  Morten, 
assuming  a  funny,  schoolmasterish  expression.  "  This 
young  lady's  beginning  to  be  saucy  !  " 

Johanna  lay  and  laughed  to  herself,  her  eyes  travelling 
from  one  to  the  other  of  them.  "  He  ought  to  have  a  pair 
of  spectacles,  and  then  he'd  be  like  a  real  one,"  she  said. 
She  spoke  hardly  above  a  whisper,  it  was  all  she  had  strength 
for  ;  but  her  voice  was  mischievous. 


DAYBREAK  165 

"  You  must  come  to  us  if  he's  so  bad,"  said  Pelle, 
"  and  then  you  can  play  with  the  children  and  lie  in  the 
sunshine  out  in  the  garden.  You  don't  know  how  lovely 
it  is  there  now  ?  Yes,  I'm  really  in  earnest,"  he  continued, 
as  she  still  smiled.  "  Ellen  asked  me  to  come  and  say  so." 

She  suddenly  became  grave  and  looked  from  the  one  to 
the  other ;  then  looking  down,  and  with  her  face  turned 
away,  she  asked  :  "  Will  Morten  be  there  too  ?  " 

"  No,  Johanna,  I  must  stay  here,  of  course  ;  but  I'll 
come  out  to  see  you." 

"  Every  day  ?  "  Her  face  was  turned  to  the  wall, 
and  she  scratched  the  paper  with  her  nails. 

"  I  shall  come  and  see  my  little  sweetheart  just  as  often 
as  I  can,"  said  Morten,  stroking  her  hair. 

The  red  blood  suffused  her  neck  in  a  sudden  wave,  and 
was  imperceptibly  absorbed  in  the  paleness  of  her  skin, 
like  a  dying  ember.  Marine's  blood  came  and  went  in  the 
same  way  for  the  merest  trifle.  Johanna  had  inherited  her 
mother's  bashfulness  and  unspeakable  charm,  and  also  her 
capricious  temper. 

She  lay  with  her  back  turned  towards  them  and  made  no 
reply  to  their  persuasions.  It  was  not  easy  to  say  whether 
she  even  heard  them,  until  suddenly  she  turned  to  Morten 
with  an  expression  of  hatred  on  her  face.  "  You  don't 
need  to  trouble,"  she  said  with  glowing  eyes  ;  "  you  can 
easily  get  rid  of  me  !  " 

Morten  only  looked  at  her  sorrowfully,  but  Pelle  was 
angry.  "  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself  for  taking 
it  like  that,"  he  said.  "  Is  that  all  the  thanks  Morten  gets 
for  what  he's  done  !  I  must  say  you're  a  grateful  child  !  " 

Johanna  took  the  scolding  without  moving  a  muscle 
of  her  face,  but  when  he  ceased  she  quietly  took  his  hand 
and  laid  it  over  her  delicate,  thin  face,  which  it  quite 
covered.  There  she  lay  peeping  out  at  him  and  Morten 


166  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

between  the  large  fingers,  with  a  strangely  resigned  expres- 
sion that  was  meant  to  be  roguish.  "  I  know  it  was  horrid 
of  me,"  she  said  dully,  moving  Pelle's  middle  finger  back- 
wards and  forwards  in  front  of  her  eyes  so  that  she  squinted  ; 
"  but  I'll  do  what  you  tell  me.  Elle-Pelle,  Morten-Porten — 
I  can  talk  the  P-language  !  "  And  she  laughed  an  embar- 
rassed laugh. 

"  You  don't  know  how  much  better  and  happier  you'll 
be  when  you  get  out  to  Pelle's,"  said  Morten. 

"  I  could  easily  get  up  and  do  the  work  of  the  house,  so 
that  you  didn't  need  to  have  a  woman,"  she  whispered, 
gazing  at  him  passionately  with  her  big  eyes.  "  I'm  well 
enough  now." 

"  My  dear  child,  that's  not  what  I  mean  at  all !  It's 
for  your  sake.  Don't  you  understand  that  ?  "  said  Morten 
earnestly,  bending  over  her. 

Johanna's  gaze  wandered  round  hopelessly,  as  if  she 
had  given  up  all  thought  of  being  understood  any  more. 

"  I  don't  think  we'll  move  her  against  her  will,"  said 
Morten,  as  he  went  down  with  Pelle.  "  She  is  so  capricious 
in  her  moods.  I  think,  too,  I  should  miss  her,  for  she's  a 
good  little  soul.  When  she's  up  she  goes  creeping  about 
and  is  often  quite  touching  in  her  desire  to  make  me 
comfortable.  And  suddenly  recollections  of  her  former 
life  awaken  in  her  and  darken  her  mind  ;  she's  still  very 
mistrustful  and  afraid  of  being  burdensome.  But  she  needs 
the  companionship  of  women,  some  one  to  whom  she  can 
talk  confidentially.  She  has  too  much  on  her  mind  for 
a  child." 

"  Couldn't  you  both  move  out  to  us  ?  You  can  have  the 
two  upstairs  rooms." 

"  That's  not  a  bad  idea,"  exclaimed  Morten.  "  May  I 
have  two  or  three  days  to  think  it  over  ?  And  my  love  to 
Ellen  and  the  children  !  " 


XIII 

WHEN  the  workshop  closed,  Pelle  often  went  on  working 
for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  shop,  getting  the  accounts  straight 
and  arranging  the  work  for  the  following  day  in  the  intervals 
of  attending  to  customers.  A  little  before  six  he  closed  the 
shop,  mounted  his  bicycle  and  hastened  home  with  longing 
for  the  nest  in  his  heart. 

Every  one  else  seemed  to  feel  as  he  did.  There  was  a 
peculiar  homeward  current  in  the  traffic  of  the  streets. 
Cyclists  overtook  him  in  whole  flocks,  and  raced  in  shoals 
in  front  of  the  trams,  which  looked  as  if  they  squirted 
them  away  from  the  lines  as  they  worked  their  way  along 
with  incessant,  deafening  ringing,  bounding  up  and  down 
under  the  weight  of  the  over-filled  platforms. 

Crowds  of  men  and  women  were  on  their  way  out,  and 
met  other  crowds  whose  homes  were  in  the  opposite  quarter. 
On  the  outskirts  of  the  town  the  factory  whistles  were 
crowing  like  a  choir  of  giant  cocks,  a  single  one  beginning, 
the  others  all  joining  in.  Sooty  workmen  poured  out  of 
the  gates,  with  beer-bottles  sticking  out  of  coat-pockets 
and  dinner  handkerchiefs  dangling  from  a  finger.  Women 
who  had  been  at  work  or  out  making  purchases,  stood  with 
their  baskets  on  their  arms,  waiting  for  their  husbands 
at  the  comer  of  the  street.  Little  children  tripping  along 
hand  in  hand,  suddenly  caught  sight  of  a  man  far  off  in 
the  crowd,  and  set  off  at  a  run  to  throw  themselves  at  his 
legs. 

167 


i68  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Sister  often  ran  right  across  the  fields  to  meet  her 
father,  and  Ellen  stood  at  the  gate  of  "  Daybreak"  and 
waited.  "  Good-day,  Mr.  Manufacturer  !  "  she  cried  as  he 
approached.  She  was  making  up  for  so  much  now,  and  was 
glowing  with  health  and  happiness.  It  was  no  use  for 
Pelle  to  protest,  and  declare  that  in  his  world  there  were 
only  workmen  ;  she  would  not  give  up  the  title.  He  was 
the  one  who  directed  the  whole  thing,  and  she  did  not  mind 
about  the  fellowship.  She  was  proud  of  him,  and  he  might 
call  himself  an  errand-boy  if  he  liked  ;  men  must  always 
have  some  crotchet  or  other  in  their  work,  or  else  it  would 
not  satisfy  them.  The  arrangement  about  the  equal 
division  she  did  not  understand,  but  she  was  sure  that  her 
big,  clever  husband  deserved  to  have  twice  as  much  as 
any  of  the  others.  She  did  not  trouble  her  head  about  that 
however  ;  she  lived  her  own  life  and  was  contented  and 
happy. 

Pelle  had  feared  that  she  would  tire  of  the  country, 
and  apparently  she  did  not  take  to  it.  She  weeded  and 
worked  in  the  garden  with  her  customary  energy,  and  by 
degrees  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  work ;  but  it  did 
not  seem  to  afford  her  any  peculiar  enjoyment.  It  was  no 
pleasure  to  her  to  dig  her  fingers  into  the  mould.  Pelle 
and  the  children  throve  here,  and  that  determined  her 
relations  to  the  place  ;  but  she  did  not  strike  root  on  her 
own  account.  She  could  thrive  anywhere  in  the  world  if 
only  they  were  there  ;  and  their  welfare  was  hers.  She 
grew  out  from  them,  and  had  her  own  wonderful  growth 
inwards. 

Within  her  there  were  strange  hidden  forces  that  had 
nothing  to  do  with  theories  or  systems,  but  produced  the 
warmth  that  bore  up  the  whole.  Pelle  no  longer  desired 
to  force  his  way  in  there.  What  did  he  care  about  logical 
understanding  between  man  and  woman  ?  It  was  her  heart 


DAYBREAK  169 

with  which  he  needed  to  be  irradiated.  He  required  to  be 
understood  by  his  friends.  His  great  satisfaction  in  being 
with,  for  instance,  Morten,  was  that  in  perfect  unanimity 
they  talked  until  they  came  to  a  stopping-place,  and  if 
they  were  then  silent  their  thoughts  ran  on  on  parallel  lines 
and  were  side  by  side  when  they  emerged  once  more. 
But  even  if  he  and  Ellen  started  from  the  same  point,  the 
shortest  pause  would  take  their  thoughts  in  different 
directions  ;  he  never  knew  where  she  would  appear  again. 
No  matter  how  well  he  thought  he  knew  her,  she  always 
came  up  just  as  surprisingly  and  unexpectedly  behind  him. 
And  was  it  not  just  that  he  loved  ?  Why  then  contend 
with  it  on  the  basis  of  the  claims  of  a  poor  logic  ? 

She  continued  to  be  just  as  unfathomable,  no  matter 
how  much  of  her  he  thought  he  had  mastered.  She  became 
greater  and  greater  with  it,  and  she  brought  him  a  new, 
strange  world — the  mysterious  unknown  with  which  he 
had  always  had  to  strive,  allowed  itself  to  be  tenderly 
embraced.  He  no  longer  demanded  the  whole  of  her; 
in  his  inmost  soul  probably  every  human  being  was  lonely. 
He  guessed  that  she  was  going  through  her  own  develop- 
ment in  concealment,  and  wondered  where  she  would 
appear  again. 

It  had  formerly  been  a  grief  to  him  that  she  did  not 
join  the  movement ;  she  was  not  interested  in  political 
questions  and  the  suffrage.  He  now  dimly  realised  that 
that  was  just  her  strength,  and  in  any  case  he  did  not 
wish  her  otherwise.  She  seldom  interfered  definitely  with 
what  he  did,  and  why  should  she  ?  She  exerted  a  silent 
influence  upon  everything  he  did,  stamped  each  of  his 
thoughts  from  the  moment  they  began  to  shoot  up.  For 
the  very  reason  that  she  did  not  know  how  to  discuss,  she 
could  not  be  refuted ;  what  to  him  was  downright  logic 
had  no  effect  whatever  upon  her.  He  did  not  get  his  own 


i;o  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

thoughts  again  stale  from  her  lips,  and  did  not  wish  to 
either  ;  her  wonderful  power  over  him  lay  in  the  fact 
that  she  rested  so  securely  on  her  own,  and  answered  the 
most  crushing  arguments  with  a  smile.  Pelle  was  begin- 
ning to  doubt  as  to  the  value  of  superiority  of  intellect ; 
it  seemed  to  have  undisputed  rule  over  the  age,  but  did  not 
accomplish  chiefly  good.  As  compared  with  Ellen's  nature, 
it  seemed  to  him  poor.  The  warmth  in  a  kiss  convinced 
her  better  than  a  thousand  sensible  reasons,  and  yet  she 
seldom  made  a  mistake. 

And  she  herself  gave  out  warmth.  They  went  to  her, 
both  he  and  the  children,  when  there  was  anything  wrong. 
She  did  not  say  much,  but  she  warmed.  She  still  always 
seemed  to  him  like  a  pulse  that  beat,  living  and  palpable, 
out  from  the  invisible,  with  a  strangely  tranqail  speech. 
When  his  head  was  hot  and  tired  with  adverse  happenings, 
there  was  nothing  more  delightful  than  to  rest  it  upon  her 
bosom  and  listen,  only  half  awake,  to  the  dull,  soothing 
murmur  within  like  that  of  the  earth's  springs  when,  in 
his  childhood,  he  laid  his  ear  to  the  grass. 

The  spring  was  beautiful,  and  they  were  much  out  in 
it ;  when  no  one  could  see  them  they  walked  hand-in-hand 
along  the  dikes  like  two  young  lovers.  Then  Pelle  talked 
and  showed  her  things.  Look  !  there  it  grew  in  that  way, 
and  here  in  quite  a  different  way.  Was  it  not  strange  ? 
He  lived  over  again  all  his  childhood's  excitement  in  spring. 
Ellen  listened  to  him,  smiling  ;  she  was  not  astonished  at 
anything  so  natural  as  that  things  grew ;  she  was  merely 
transformed  I  The  earth  simply  sent  up  its  juices  into 
her  too. 

The  fresh  air  and  the  work  in  the  garden  tanned  her  bare 
arms,  and  gave  strength  and  beauty  to  her  figure,  while  her 
easy  circumstances  freed  her  from  care.  One  day  a  new 
being  showed  in  her  eyes,  and  looked  at  Pelle  with  the 


DAYBREAK  171 

inquisitiveness  of  a  kid.  '  Shall  we  play  ?  '  it  said.  Was 
it  he  or  the  spring  that  set  fire  to  her  ?  No  matter  !  The 
pleasure  was  his !  The  sunshine  entered  the  innermost 
corners  of  his  soul,  the  musty  corners  left  by  the  darkness 
of  his  prison-cell,  and  cured  him  completely  ;  her  freedom 
from  care  infected  him,  and  he  was  entirely  happy.  It 
was  Ellen  who  had  done  it  all ;  at  last  she  had  taken  upon 
herself  to  be  the  messenger  between  joy  and  him  ! 

She  became  gentler  and  more  vigorous  in  disposition 
every  day.  The  sun  and  the  wind  across  the  open  country 
called  forth  something  in  her  that  had  never  been  there 
before,  an  innocent  pleasure  in  her  own  body  and  a  physical 
appetite  that  made  her  teeth  white  and  gleaming.  She 
was  radiant  with  delight  when  Pelle  brought  her  little 
things  to  adorn  herself  with  ;  she  did  not  use  them  for  the 
children  now  !  "  Look  !  "  she  said  once,  holding  up  a 
piece  of  dark  velvet  to  her  face  which  in  the  evening  gave 
out  again  the  warmth  of  the  sun,  as  hay  its  scent.  "  You 
must  give  me  a  dress  like  this  when  we  become  rich."  And 
her  eyes  sparkled  as  she  looked  at  him,  full  of  promises  of 
abundant  returns.  He  thought  he  belonged  to  the  soil, 
and  yet  it  was  through  her  that  he  first  really  came  into 
contact  with  it !  There  was  worship  of  nature  in  the  appe- 
tite with  which  she  crunched  the  first  radishes  of  the  year 
and  delighted  in  their  juicy  freshness  ;  and  when  in  the 
evening  he  sprang  from  his  bicycle  and  took  her  in  his 
arms,  she  herself  exhaled  the  fresh  perfume  of  all  that  had 
passed  through  the  spring  day — the  wind  and  the  products 
of  the  soil.  He  could  smell  in  her  breath  the  perfume  of 
wild  honey,  mixed  with  the  pollen  and  nectar  of  wild 
flowers  ;  and  she  would  close  her  eyes  as  though  she  herself 
were  intoxicated  with  it. 

Their  dawning  affection  became  passionate  first  love 
out  here.  Ellen  was  always  standing  at  the  gate  waiting 


172  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

for  him.  As  soon  as  Pelle  had  had  his  supper,  the  children 
dragged  him  round  the  garden  to  show  him  what  had  taken 
place  during  the  day  They  held  his  hands  and  Ellen  had 
to  walk  by  herself.  Pelle  and  she  had  an  intense  desire  to 
be  close  together,  but  the  little  ones  would  not  submit  to 
be  set  aside.  "  He's  our  father  !  "  they  said  ;  and  Pelle 
and  Ellen  were  like  two  young  people  that  are  kept  cruelly 
apart  by  a  remorseless  fate,  and  they  looked  at  one  another 
with  eyes  that  were  heavy  with  expression. 

When  the  little  ones  had  gone  to  bed  they  stole  away 
from  it  all,  leaving  Lasse  Fredrik  in  charge  of  the  house. 
He  had  seen  an  artist  sitting  outside  the  hedge  and  painting 
the  smoky  city  in  the  spring  light,  and  had  procured  himself 
a  paintbox.  He  sat  out  there  every  evening  now,  daubing 
away  busily.  He  did  not  mean  to  be  a  sailor  now  ! 

They  went  up  past  the  farm  and  on  towards  the  evening 
sun,  walked  hand  in  hand  in  the  dewy  grass,  gazing  silently 
in  front  of  them.  The  ruddy  evening  light  coloured  their 
faces  and  made  their  eyes  glow.  There  was  a  little  grove 
of  trees  not  far  off,  to  which  they  often  went  so  as  to  be 
quite  away  from  the  world.  With  their  arms  round  one 
another  they  passed  into  the  deep  twilight,  whispering 
together.  Now  and  then  she  bent  her  head  back  for  him 
to  kiss  her,  when  an  invisible  ray  would  strike  her  eye 
and  be  refracted  into  a  rainbow-coloured  star,  in  the 
darkness. 

A  high  dike  of  turfs  ran  along  the  edge  of  the  wood, 
and  low  over  it  hung  hazel  and  young  beech  trees.  In 
under  the  branches  there  were  little  bowers  where  they 
hid  themselves ;  the  dead  leaves  had  drifted  together  in 
under  the  dike  and  made  a  soft  couch.  The  birds  above 
their  heads  gave  little  sleepy  chirps,  turned  on  the  branch 
and  twittered  softly  as  though  they  dreamed  the  day's 
melodies  over  again.  Sometimes  the  moon  peeped  in  at 


DAYBREAK  173 

them  with  a  broad  smile.  The  heavy  night-exhalations 
of  the  leaves  lulled  them  to  sleep,  and  sometimes  they 
were  only  wakened  by  the  tremor  that  passes  through 
everything  when  the  sun  rises.  Pelle  would  be  cold  then, 
but  Ellen's  body  was  always  warm  although  she  had 
removed  some  of  her  clothing  to  make  a  pillow  for  their 
heads. 

She  still  continued  to  be  motherly  ;  her  devotion  only 
called  forth  new  sides  of  her  desire  for  self-sacrifice.  How 
rich  she  was  in  her  motherliness  !  She  demanded  nothing 
but  the  hard  ground,  and  could  not  make  herself  soft 
enough :  everything  was  for  him.  And  she  could  make 
herself  so  incomprehensibly  soft !  Providence  had  thrown 
all  His  riches  and  warmth  into  her  lap ;  it  was  no  wonder 
that  both  life  and  happiness  had  made  their  nesting-place 
there. 

Their  love  increased  with  the  sunshine,  and  made 
everything  bright  and  good  ;  there  was  no  room  for  any 
darkness.  Pelle  met  all  troubles  with  a  smile.  He 
went  about  in  a  state  of  semi-stupor,  and  even  his  most 
serious  business  affairs  could  not  efface  Ellen's  picture 
from  his  mind.  Her  breath  wanned  the  air  around  him 
throughout  the  day,  and  made  him  hasten  home.  At 
table  at  home  they  had  secret  signs  that  referred  to  their 
secret  world.  They  were  living  in  the  first  love  of  youth 
with  all  its  sweet  secrecy,  and  smiled  at  one  another  in 
youthful,  stealthy  comprehension,  as  though  the  whole 
world  were  watching  them  and  must  learn  nothing.  If 
their  feet  touched  under  the  table,  their  eyes  met  and 
Ellen  would  blush  like  a  young  girl.  Her  affection  was 
so  great  that  she  could  not  bear  it  to  be  known,  even  to 
themselves.  A  red  flame  passed  over  her  face,  and  her 
eyes  were  veiled  as  though  she  hid  in  them  the  unspeak- 
able sweetness  of  her  tryst  from  time  to  time.  She  rarely 


174  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

spoke  and  generally  answered  with  a  smile  ;    she  sang 
softly  to  herself,  filled  with  the  happiness  of  youth. 
****** 

One  afternoon  when  he  came  cycling  home  Ellen  did 
not  meet  him  as  usual.  He  became  anxious,  and  hurried 
in.  The  sofa  was  made  into  a  bed,  and  Ellen  was  standing 
by  it,  bending  over  Johanna,  who  lay  shivering  with  fever. 
Ellen  raised  her  head  and  said,  "  Hush  !  "  The  children 
were  sitting  in  a  corner  gazing  fearfully  at  the  sick  girl, 
who  lay  with  closed  eyes,  moaning  slightly. 

"  She  came  running  out  here  this  afternoon,"  whispered 
Ellen,  looking  strangely  at  him  ;  "I  can't  think  why. 
She's  terribly  ill !  I've  sent  Lasse  Fredrik  in  to  Morten, 
so  that  he  may  know  she's  with  us." 

"  Have  you  sent  for  the  doctor  ?  "  asked  Pelle,  bend- 
ing down  over  Johanna. 

"  Yes.  Lasse  Fredrik  will  tell  Morten  to  bring  his 
doctor  with  him.  He  must  know  her  best.  I  should 
think  they'll  soon  be  here." 

A  shivering  fit  came  over  Johanna.  She  lay  working 
her  tongue  against  the  dry  roof  of  her  mouth,  now  and 
then  uttering  a  number  of  disconnected  words,  and  tossing 
to  and  fro  upon  the  bed.  Suddenly  she  raised  herself  in 
terror,  her  wide-open  eyes  fixed  upon  Pelle,  but  with  no 
recognition  in  them.  "  Go  away !  I  won't !  "  she 
screamed,  pushing  him  away.  His  deep  voice  calmed  her, 
however,  and  she  allowed  herself  to  be  laid  down  once 
more,  and  then  lay  still  with  closed  eyes. 

"  Some  one  has  been  after  her,"  said  Ellen,  weeping. 
"  What  can  it  be  ?  " 

"  It's  the  old  story,"  Pelle  whispered  with  emotion. 
"  Morten  says  that  it  constantly  reappears  in  her. — Take 
the  children  out  into  the  garden,  Ellen.  I'll  stay  here 
with  her." 


DAYBREAK  175 

Ellen  went  out  with  the  little  ones,  who  could  hardly 
be  persuaded  to  come  out  of  their  corner ;  but  it  was  not 
long  before  their  chattering  voices  could  be  heard  out  on 
the  grass. 

Pelle  sat  with  his  hand  on  Johanna's  forehead,  staring 
straight  before  him.  He  had  been  rudely  awakened  to 
the  horror  of  life  once  more.  Convulsive  tremors  passed 
through  her  tortured  brow.  It  was  as  if  he  held  in  his 
hand  a  fluttering  soul  that  had  been  trodden  in  the  mire 
beneath  heavy  heels — a  poor  crushed  fledgeling  that  could 
neither  fly  nor  die. 

He  was  roused  by  the  sound  of  a  carriage  driving 
quickly  up  to  the  garden  gate,  and  went  out  to  meet  the 
men. 

The  doctor  was  very  doubtful  about  Johanna's  con- 
dition. "  I'm  afraid  that  the  fits  will  increase  rather  than 
decrease,"  he  said  in  a  whisper.  "  It  would  be  better  if 
she  were  sent  to  the  hospital  as  soon  as  she's  able  to  be 
moved." 

"  Would  it  be  better  for  her  ?  "  asked  Ellen. 

"No,  not  exactly  for  her,  but — she'll  be  a  difficult 
patient,  you  know  !  " 

"  Then  she  shall  remain  here,"  said  Ellen  ;  "  she  shall 
be  well  looked  after." 

Lasse  Fredrik  had  to  take  his  bicycle  and  ride  to  the 
chemist's,  and  immediately  after  the  doctor  drove  away. 

They  sat  outside  the  garden  door,  so  that  they  could 
hear  any  sound  from  the  sick  girl,  and  talked  together  in 
low  tones.  It  was  sad  to  see  Morten  ;  Johanna's  flight 
from  him  had  wounded  him  deeply. 

"  I  wonder  why  she  did  it  ?  "  said  Pelle. 

"  She's  been  strange  ever  since  you  came  up  and  pro- 
posed that  she  should  come  out  to  you,"  said  Morten,  sadly. 
"  She  got  it  into  her  head  that  she  was  a  burden  to  me 


176  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

and  that  I  would  like  to  get  rid  of  her.  Two  or  three  days 
ago  she  got  up  while  I  was  out,  and  began  working  in  the 
house — I  suppose  as  a  return  for  my  keeping  her.  She's 
morbidly  sensitive.  When  I  distinctly  forbade  her  she 
declared  that  she  wouldn't  owe  me  anything  and  meant 
to  go  away.  I  knew  that  she  might  very  likely  do  it  in 
spite  of  her  being  ill,  so  I  stayed  at  home.  At  midday 
to-day  I  just  went  down  to  fetch  milk,  and  when  I  came  up 
she  was  gone.  It  was  a  good  thing  she  came  out  here  ;  I 
think  she'd  do  anything  when  once  the  idea's  taken  her 
that  she's  a  burden." 

"  She  must  be  very  fond  of  you,"  said  Ellen,  looking 
at  him. 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  answered  Morten,  with  a  sad  smile. 
"  At  any  rate  she's  hidden  it  well.  My  impression  is  that 
she's  hated  me  ever  since  the  day  we  spoke  of  her  coming 
out  here. — May  I  stay  here  for  the  night  ?  " 

"  If  you  can  put  up  with  what  we  have,"  answered 
Ellen.  "  It  won't  be  a  luxurious  bed,  but  it'll  be  some- 
thing to  lie  down  on." 

Morten  did  not  want  a  bed,  however.  "  I'll  sit  up  and 
watch  over  Johanna,"  he  said. 


XIV 

THE  house  was  thus  transformed  into  a  nursing  home. 
It  was  a  hard  hit  at  their  careless  happiness,  but  they  took 
it  as  it  came.  Neither  of  them  demanded  more  of  life  than 
it  was  capable  of. 

Ellen  was  with  the  sick  girl  day  and  night  until  the 
worst  was  over  ;  she  neglected  both  Pelle  and  the  children 
to  give  all  her  care  to  Johanna. 

"  You've  got  far  too  much  to  do,"  said  Pelle,  anxiously. 
"  It'll  end  in  your  being  ill  too.  Do  let  us  have  help  !  " 
And  as  Ellen  would  not  hear  of  it,  he  took  the  matter  into 
his  own  hands,  and  got  "  Queen  Theresa  "  to  be  out  there 
during  the  day. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days  Morten  arranged  his  affairs, 
got  rid  of  his  flat,  and  moved  out  to  them.  "  You  won't 
be  able  to  run  away  from  me  after  all,"  he  said  to  Johanna, 
who  was  sitting  up  in  bed  listening  to  the  carrying  upstairs 
of  his  things.  "  When  you're  well  enough  you  shall  be 
moved  up  into  the  big  attic ;  and  then  we  two  shall  live 
upstairs  and  be  jolly  again,  won't  we  ?  " 

She  made  no  answer,  but  flushed  with  pleasure. 

Ellen  now  received  from  Morten  the  amount  he  usually 
spent  in  a  month  on  food  and  house-rent.  She  was  quite 
disconcerted.  What  was  she  to  do  with  all  that  money  ? 
It  was  far  too  much  !  Well,  they  need  no  longer  be  anxious 
about  their  rent. 

Johanna  was  soon  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  get 

VOL.  IV.  177  N 


178  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

up  for  a  little.  The  country  air  had  a  beneficial  effect 
upon  her  nerves,  and  Ellen  knew  how  to  keep  her  in  good 
spirits.  Old  Brun  made  her  a  present  of  a  beautiful  red 
and  yellow  reclining  chair  of  basket  work ;  and  when  the 
sun  shone  she  was  carried  out  on  to  the  grass,  where  she 
lay  and  watched  the  children's  play,  sometimes  joining 
in  the  game  from  her  chair,  and  ordering  them  hither  and 
thither.  Boy  Comfort  submitted  to  it  good-naturedly,  but 
Sister  was  a  little  more  reserved.  She  did  not  like  this 
stranger  to  call  Pelle  "  father  "  ;  and  when  she  was  in  a 
teasing  mood  she  would  stand  a  little  way  off  and  repeat 
again  and  again  :  "  He's  not  your  father,  for  he's  mine  !  " 
until  Ellen  took  her  away. 

Johanna  mostly  lay,  however,  gazing  into  space  with 
an  expression  of  the  utmost  weariness.  For  a  moment  her 
attention  would  be  attracted  by  anything  new,  but  then 
her  eyes  wandered  away  again.  She  was  never  well  enough 
to  walk  about ;  even  when  she  felt  well,  her  legs  would 
not  support  her.  Brun  came  out  to  "  Daybreak  "  every 
afternoon  to  see  her.  The  old  man  was  deeply  affected 
by  her  sad  fate,  and  had  given  up  his  usual  holiday  trip 
in  order  to  keep  himself  acquainted  with  her  condition. 
"  We  must  do  something  for  her,"  he  said  to  the  doctor, 
who  paid  a  daily  visit  at  his  request.  "  Is  there  nothing 
that  can  be  done  ?  " 

The  doctor  shook  his  head.  "  She  couldn't  be  better 
off  anywhere  than  she  is  here,"  he  said. 

They  were  all  fond  of  her,  and  did  what  they  could 
to  please  her.  Brun  always  brought  something  with  him, 
expensive  things  such  as  beautiful  silk  blankets  that  she 
could  have  over  her  when  she  lay  out  in  the  garden,  and 
a  splendid  coral  necklace.  He  got  her  everything  that  he 
could  imagine  she  would  like.  Her  eyes  sparkled  when- 
ever she  received  anything  new,  and  she  put  everything 


DAYBREAK  179 

on.  "  Now  I'm  a  princess  in  all  her  finery,"  she 
whispered,  smiling  at  him  ;  but  a  moment  after  she  had 
forgotten  all  about  it.  She  was  very  fond  of  the  old  man, 
made  him  sit  beside  her,  and  called  him  "  grandfather  " 
with  a  mournful  attempt  at  roguishness.  She  did  not 
listen  to  what  he  told  her,  however,  and  when  the  little 
ones  crept  up  and  wanted  him  to  come  with  them  to  play 
in  the  field,  he  could  quite  well  go,  for  she  did  not  notice  it. 

Alas  !  nothing  could  reconcile  her  child's  soul  to  her 
poor,  maltreated  body,  neither  love  nor  trinkets.  It  was 
as  though  it  were  weary  of  its  covering  and  had  soared  as 
far  out  as  possible,  held  captive  by  a  thin  thread  that 
would  easily  wear  through.  She  grew  more  transparent 
every  day  ;  it  could  be  clearly  seen  now  that  she  had  the 
other  children  beside  her.  They  ate  and  throve  for  her 
as  well  as  themselves  !  When  Ellen  was  not  on  the  watch, 
Boy  Comfort  would  come  and  eat  up  Johanna's  invalid 
food,  though  goodness  knew  he  wasn't  starved  !  Johanna 
herself  looked  on  calmly ;  it  was  all  a  matter  of  such 
indifference  to  her. 

It  was  an  unusually  fine  summer,  dry  and  sunny,  and 
they  could  nearly  always  be  in  the  garden.  They  generally 
gathered  there  towards  evening ;  Ellen  and  "  Queen 
Theresa "  had  finished  their  house  work,  and  sat  by 
Johanna  with  their  sewing,  Brun  kept  them  company  with 
his  cheerful  talk,  and  Johanna  lay  and  dozed  with  her  face 
towards  the  garden  gate.  They  laughed  and  joked  with 
her  to  keep  her  in  good  spirits.  Brun  had  promised  her 
a  trip  to  the  South  if  she  would  make  haste  to  use  her  legs, 
and  told  her  about  the  sun  down  there  and  the  delicious 
grapes  and  oranges  that  she  would  be  allowed  to  pick 
herself.  She  answered  everything  with  her  sad  smile,  as 
though  she  knew  all  too  well  what  awaited  her.  Her 
thick,  dark  hair  overshadowed  more  and  more  her  pale 


i8o  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

face  ;  it  was  as  if  night  were  closing  over  her.  She  seemed 
to  be  dozing  slowly  out  of  existence,  with  her  large  eyes 
turned  towards  the  garden  gate. 

Morten  was  often  away  on  lecturing  tours,  sometimes 
for  several  days  at  a  time.  When  at  last  he  entered  the 
gate,  life  flashed  into  her  face.  He  was  the  only  one  who 
could  recall  her  spirit  to  its  surroundings  ;  it  was  as 
though  it  only  lingered  on  for  him.  She  was  no  longer 
capricious  with  him.  When  she  had  the  strength  for  it, 
she  sat  up  and  threw  her  arms  round  his  neck ;  her  tears 
flowed  silently,  and  her  longing  found  free  vent.  Ellen 
understood  the  child's  feelings,  and  signed  to  the  others 
to  leave  the  two  together.  Morten  would  then  sit  for 
hours  beside  her,  telling  her  all  that  he  had  been  doing  ; 
she  never  seemed  to  grow  weary,  but  lay  and  listened  to 
him  with  shining  eyes,  her  transparent  hand  resting  upon 
his  arm.  Every  step  he  took  interested  her ;  sometimes 
a  peculiar  expression  came  into  her  eyes,  and  she  fell 
suspiciously  upon  some  detail  or  other.  Her  senses  were 
morbidly  keen  ;  the  very  scent  of  strange  people  about 
him  made  her  sullen  and  suspicious. 

"  The  poor,  poor  child  !  She  loves  him  !  "  said  Ellen 
one  day  to  Pelle,  and  suddenly  burst  into  tears.  "  And 
there  she  lies  dying  !  "  Her  own  happiness  made  her  so 
fully  conscious  of  the  child's  condition. 

"  But  dearest  Ellen  !  "  exclaimed  Pelle  in  protest. 
"  Don't  you  think  I  can  see  ?  That's  of  course  why  she's 
always  been  so  strange  to  him.  How  sad  it  is  !  " 

The  child's  sad  fate  cast  a  shadow  over  the  others,  but 
the  sun  rose  high  in  the  heavens  and  became  still  stronger. 

"  Pelle,"  said  Ellen,  stroking  his  hair,  "  the  light  nights 
will  soon  be  over  !  " 

Morten  continued  obstinately  to  believe  that  little 
Johanna  would  recover,  but  every  one  else  could  see 


DAYBREAK  181 

distinctly  what  the  end  was  to  be.  Her  life  oozed  away 
with  the  departing  summer.  She  became  gentler  and  more 
manageable  every  daj-.  The  hatred  in  her  was  extin- 
guished ;  she  accepted  all  their  kindness  with  a  tired 
smile.  Through  her  spoiled  being  there  radiated  a  strange 
charm,  bearing  the  stamp  of  death,  which  seemed  to 
unfold  itself  the  more  as  she  drew  nearer  to  the  grave. 

Later  in  the  autumn  her  nature  changed.  Suddenly, 
when  Pelle  or  Morten  approached,  her  eyes  would  fill  with 
horror  and  she  would  open  her  mouth  to  cry  out ;  but 
when  she  recognised  them,  she  nestled  down  in  their  arms, 
crying  pitifully.  She  could  no  longer  go  into  the  garden, 
but  always  kept  her  bed.  She  could  not  bear  the  noise 
of  the  children  ;  it  tortured  her  and  carried  her  thoughts 
back  to  the  narrow  streets  :  they  had  to  keep  out  of  doors 
all  day.  Delirious  attacks  became  more  frequent,  and 
her  thin,  languid  voice  became  once  more  rough  and 
hoarse.  She  lay  fighting  with  boys  and  roughs  and  high 
hats,  defended  herself  with  nicknames  and  abusive  epithets, 
and  snarled  at  every  one,  until  she  at  last  gave  in  and 
asked  for  brandy,  and  lay  crying  softly  to  herself.  Old 
Brun  never  dared  show  himself  at  her  bedside ;  she  took 
him  for  an  old  chamberlain  that  the  street -boys  had  set 
on  to  her,  and  received  him  with  coarse  demands. 

This  insight  into  the  child's  terrible  existence  among 
the  timber-stacks  affected  them  all.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
malignity  of  life  would  not  relax  its  hold  on  this  innocent 
victim,  but  would  persecute  her  as  long  as  life  remained, 
and  made  all  their  love  useless.  Morten  stayed  with  her 
during  the  days  in  which  she  fought  her  battle  with  death  ; 
he  sat  watching  her  from  a  corner,  only  venturing  nearer 
when  she  dozed.  Ellen  was  the  only  one  who  had  the 
strength  to  meet  it.  She  was  with  Johanna  night  and  day, 
and  tried  to  make  death  easier  for  her  by  her  unwearying 


182  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

care ;  and  when  the  fits  came  over  the  child,  she  held  her 
in  her  arms  and  sought  to  calm  her  with  a  mother's  love. 
She  had  never  been  in  a  death-chamber  before,  but  did 

not  quail ;  and  the  child  died  upon  her  breast. 

***** 

Johanna's  death  had  completely  paralysed  Morten. 
As  long  as  he  possibly  could  he  had  clung  to  the  belief  that 
her  life  might  be  saved ;  if  not,  it  would  be  so  unreason- 
ably unjust ;  and  when  her  hopeless  condition  became 
apparent  to  him,  he  collapsed.  He  did  nothing,  but 
wandered  about  dully,  spoke  to  no  one  and  ate  very  little. 
It  was  as  though  he  had  received  a  blow  on  the  head  from 
a  heavy  hand. 

After  the  funeral  he  and  Pelle  walked  home  together 
while  the  others  drove.  Pelle  talked  of  indifferent  matters 
in  order  to  draw  Morten's  thoughts  away  from  the  child, 
but  Morten  did  not  listen  to  him. 

"  My  dear  fellow,  you  can't  go  on  like  this,"  said  Pelle, 
suddenly,  putting  his  arm  through  Morten's.  "  You've 
accompanied  the  poor  child  along  the  road  as  far  as  you 
could,  and  the  living  have  some  claim  on  you  too." 

Morten  raised  his  head.  "  What  does  it  matter  whether 
I  write  a  few  pages  more  or  less  ?  "  he  said  wearily. 

"  Your  pen  was  given  you  to  defend  the  defenceless 
with  ;  you  mustn't  give  up,"  said  Pelle. 

Morten  laughed  bitterly.  "  And  haven't  I  pleaded  the 
cause  of  the  children  as  well  as  I  could,  and  been  innocent 
enough  to  believe  that  there,  at  any  rate,  it  was  only  neces- 
sary to  open  people's  eyes  in  order  to  touch  their  hearts  ? 
And  what  has  been  gained  ?  The  addition,  at  the  most, 
of  one  more  volume  to  the  so-called  good  literature.  Men 
are  practical  beings  ;  you  can  with  the  greatest  ease  get 
them  to  shed  theatre  tears  ;  they're  quite  fond  of  sitting 
in  the  stalls  and  weeping  with  the  unfortunate  man  ;  but 


DAYBREAK  183 

woe  to  him  if  they  meet  him  again  in  the  street.  The 
warmest  words  that  have  ever  been  spoken  to  me  about 
my  descriptions  of  children  were  from  an  old  gentleman 
whom  I  afterwards  found  to  be  trying  to  get  hold  of  little 
children." 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  said  Pelle,  looking 
at  him  with  concern. 

"  Yes,  what  am  I  going  to  do — tell  me  that !  You're 
right  in  saying  I'm  indifferent,  but  can  one  go  on  taking 
part  in  a  battle  that  doesn't  even  spare  the  children  ?  Do 
you  remember  my  little  sister  Karen,  who  had  to  drown 
herself  ?  How  many  thousand  children  are  there  not 
standing  behind  her  and  Johanna  !  They  call  this  the 
children's  century,  and  the  children's  blood  is  crying  out 
from  the  earth  !  They're  happy  when  they  can  steal  away. 
Fancy  if  Johanna  had  lived  on  with  her  burden  !  The 
shadows  of  childhood  stretch  over  the  whole  of  life." 

"  Yes,  and  so  does  the  sunshine  of  childhood !  "  exclaimed 
Pelle.  "  That's  why  we  mustn't  fail  the  poor  little  ones. 
We  shall  need  a  race  with  warm  hearts." 

"  That's  just  what  I've  thought,"  said  Morten,  sadly. 
"  Do  you  know,  Pelle,  I  loved  that  child  who  came  to  me 
from  the  very  lowest  depth.  She  was  everything  to  me  ; 
misery  has  never  come  so  cruelly  near  to  me  before.  It 
was  a  beautiful  dream  of  mine — a  foolish  dream — that  she 
would  live.  I  was  going  to  coax  life  and  happiness  into 
her  again,  and  then  I  would  have  written  a  book  about  all 
that  triumphs.  I  don't  know  whether  you  understand  me — • 
about  misery  that  becomes  health  and  happiness  beneath 
the  sunshine  of  kindness.  She  was  that ;  life  could  hardly 
be  brought  lower  !  But  did  you  notice  how  much  beauty 
and  delicacy  there  was  after  all  buried  beneath  the  sewer- 
mud  in  her  ?  I  had  looked  forward  to  bringing  it  out,  freed 
from  all  want  and  ugliness,  and  showing  the  world  how 


i84  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

beautiful  we  are  down  here  when  the  mud  is  scraped  off 
us.  Perhaps  it  might  have  induced  them  to  act  justly. 
That's  what  I  dreamed,  but  it's  a  bitter  lot  to  have  the 
unfortunates  appointed  to  be  one's  beloved.  My  only 
love  is  irretrievably  dead,  and  now  I  cannot  write  about 
anything  that  triumphs.  What  have  I  to  do  with  that  ?  " 

"  I  think  it's  Victor  Hugo  who  says  that  the  heart  is 
the  only  bird  that  carries  its  cage,"  said  Pelle,  "  but  your 
heart  refuses  to  take  it  when  there  is  most  use  for  it." 

"  Oh  no  !  "  said  Morten  with  a  little  more  energy. 
*'  I  shan't  desert  you  ;  but  this  has  been  a  hard  blow  for 
me.  If  only  I  had  a  little  more  of  your  clear  faith  !  Well, 
I  must  be  glad  that  I  have  you  yourself,"  he  added,  holding 
out  his  hand  to  Pelle  with  a  bright  smile. 

The  librarian  came  across  the  fields  to  meet  them. 
"It's  taken  you  two  Dioscuri  a  long  time,"  he  said,  looking 
at  them  attentively.  "  Ellen's  waiting  with  the  dinner." 

The  three  men  walked  together  up  the  bare  stubble- 
field  towards  the  house.  "  The  best  of  the  summer's  over 
now,"  said  Brun,  looking  about  with  a  sigh.  "  The 
wheel  has  turned  on  one  more  cog  !  " 

"  Death  isn't  the  worst  thing  that  can  happen  to  one," 
answered  Morten,  who  was  still  in  a  morbid  mood. 

"  That's  the  sort  of  thing  one  says  while  one's  young 
and  prosperous — and  doesn't  mean  seriously.  To-morrow 
life  will  have  taken  you  and  your  sorrow  into  its  service 
again.  But  I  have  never  been  young  until  now  that  I've 
learnt  to  know  you  two,  so  I  count  every  fleeting  hour  like 
a  miser — and  envy  you  who  can  walk  so  quickly,"  he  added 
with  a  smile. 

They  walked  up  more  slowly,  and  as  they  followed  the 
hedge  up  towards  the  house  they  heard  a  faint  whimpering 
in  the  garden.  In  a  hole  in  an  empty  bed,  which  the  two 
children  had  dug  with  their  spades,  sat  Boy  Comfort,  and 


DAYBREAK  185 

Sister  was  busy  covering  him  with  earth ;  it  was  already 
up  to  his  neck.  He  was  making  no  resistance,  but  only 
whimpered  a  little  when  the  mould  began  to  get  near  his 
mouth. 

Pelle  gave  the  alarm  and  leaped  the  hedge,  and  Ellen 
at  the  same  moment  came  running  out.  "  You  might  have 
suffocated  little  brother !  "  she  said  with  consternation, 
taking  the  boy  in  her  arms. 

"  I  was  only  planting  him,"  said  Anna,  offended  at 
having  her  work  destroyed.  "  He  wanted  to  be,  and  of 
course  he'd  come  up  again  in  the  spring  !  "  The  two 
children  wanted  a  little  brother,  and  had  agreed  that  Boy 
Comfort  should  sacrifice  himself. 

"  You  mustn't  do  such  things,"  said  Ellen,  quietly. 
"  You'll  get  a  little  brother  in  the  spring  anyhow."  And 
she  looked  at  Pelle  with  a  loving  glance. 


XV 

WORK  went  on  steadily  in  the  co-operative  works.  It  made 
no  great  stir  ;  in  the  Movement  they  had  almost  forgotten 
that  it  existed  at  all.  It  was  a  long  and  difficult  road  that 
Pelle  had  set  out  on,  but  he  did  not  for  a  moment  doubt 
that  it  led  to  the  end  he  had  in  view,  and  he  set  about  it 
seriously.  Never  had  his  respiration  been  so  slow. 

At  present  he  was  gaining  experience.  He  and  Peter 
Dreyer  had  trained  a  staff  of  good  workmen,  who  knew 
what  was  at  stake,  and  did  not  allow  themselves  to  be 
upset  even  if  a  foreign  element  entered.  The  business 
increased  steadily  and  required  new  men  ;  but  Pelle  had 
no  difficulty  with  the  new  forces  ;  the  undertaking  was  so 
strong  that  it  swallowed  them  and  remodelled  them. 

The  manufacturers  at  any  rate  remembered  his  existence, 
and  tried  to  injure  him  at  every  opportunity.  This  pleased 
him,  for  it  established  the  fact  that  he  was  a  danger  to  them. 
Through  their  connections  they  closed  credit,  and  when 
this  did  not  lead  to  anything,  because  he  had  Brun's  fortune 
to  back  him  up,  they  boycotted  him  with  regard  to  materials 
by  forcing  the  leather-merchants  not  to  sell  to  him.  He 
then  had  to  import  his  materials  from  abroad.  It  gave  him 
a  little  extra  trouble,  and  now  it  was  necessary  to  have 
everything  in  order,  so  that  they  should  not  come  to  a 
standstill  for  want  of  anything. 

One  day  an  article  was  lacking  in  a  new  consignment, 
and  the  whole  thing  was  about  to  come  to  a  standstill.  He 
186 


DAYBREAK  187 

managed  to  obtain  it  by  stratagem,  but  he  was  angry. 
"  I  should  like  to  hit  those  leather-merchants  back,"  he 
said  to  Brun.  "  If  we  happen  to  be  in  want  of  anything, 
we're  obliged  to  get  it  by  cunning.  Don't  you  think  we 
might  take  the  shop  next  door,  and  set  up  a  leather 
business  ?  It  would  be  a  blow  to  the  others,  and  then  we 
should  always  have  what  we  want  to  use.  We  shouldn't 
get  rich  on  it,  so  I  think  the  small  masters  in  out-of-the-way 
corners  would  be  glad  to  have  us." 

Brun  had  no  objection  to  making  a  little  more  war  to 
the  knife.  There  was  too  little  happening  for  his  taste  ! 

The  new  business  opened  in  October.  Pelle  would  have 
had  Peter  Dreyer  to  be  at  the  head  of  it,  but  he  refused. 
"I'm  sure  I'm  not  suited  for  buying  and  selling,"  he  said 
gloomily,  so  Pelle  took  one  of  the  young  workmen  from  the 
workshop  into  the  business,  and  kept  an  eye  upon  it 
himself. 

It  at  once  put  a  little  more  life  into  things  ;  there  was 
always  plenty  of  material.  They  now  produced  much  more 
than  they  were  able  to  sell  in  the  shop,  and  Pelle's  leather 
shop  made  the  small  masters  independent  of  private  capital. 
Many  of  them  sold  a  little  factory  foot-wear  in  addition  to 
doing  repairs,  and  these  now  took  their  goods  from  him. 
Out  in  the  provinces  his  boots  and  shoes  had  already  gained 
a  footing  in  many  places  ;  it  had  come  about  naturally, 
in  the  ordinary  sequence  of  things.  The  manufacturers 
followed  them  up  there  too,  wherever  they  could ;  but 
the  consequence  was  that  the  workmen  patronised  them 
and  forced  them  in  again  to  the  shops  of  which  they 
themselves  were  the  customers.  A  battle  began  to  rage 
over  Pelle's  boots  and  shoes. 

He  knew,  however,  that  it  was  only  the  beginning.  It 
would  soon  come  to  a  great  conflict,  and  were  his  foundations 
sufficiently  strong  for  that  ?  The  manufacturers  were 


188  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

establishing  a  shop  opposite  his,  where  the  goods  were  to 
be  sold  cheap  in  order  to  ruin  his  sales,  and  one  day  they 
put  the  prices  very  much  down  on  everything,  so  as  to 
extinguish  him  altogether. 

"  Let  them  !  "  said  Brun.  "  People  will  be  able  to  get 
shoes  cheap  !  "  Pelle  was  troubled,  however,  at  this  fresh 
attack.  Even  if  they  held  out,  it  might  well  exhaust  their 
economic  strength. 

The  misfortune  was  that  they  were  too  isolated ;  they 
were  as  yet  like  men  washed  up  on  to  an  open  shore  ;  they 
had  nothing  to  fall  back  upon.  The  employers  had  long 
since  discovered  that  they  were  just  as  international  as 
the  workmen,  and  had  adopted  Pelle's  old  organisation 
idea.  It  was  not  always  easy,  either,  to  get  materials  from 
abroad  ;  he  noticed  the  connection.  Until  he  had  got  the 
tanners  to  start  a  co-operative  business,  he  ran  the  risk  of 
having  his  feet  knocked  away  from  under  him  at  any 
moment.  And  in  the  first  place  he  must  have  the  great 
army  of  workmen  on  his  side  ;  that  was  whither  everything 
pointed. 

One  day  he  found  himself  once  more  after  many  years 
on  the  lecturer's  platform,  giving  his  first  lecture  on  co- 
operation. It  was  very  strange  to  stand  once  more 
before  his  own  people  and  feel  their  faces  turned  towards 
him.  At  present  they  looked  upon  him  as  one  who  had 
come  from  abroad  with  new  ideas,  or  perhaps  only  a  new 
invention  ;  but  he  meant  to  win  them  !  Their  very  slow- 
ness promised  well  when  once  it  was  overcome.  He  knew 
them  again  ;  they  were  difficult  to  get  started,  but  once 
started  could  hardly  be  stopped  again.  If  his  idea  got 
proper  hold  of  these  men  with  their  huge  organisations 
and  firm  discipline,  it  would  be  insuperable.  He  entered 
with  heart  and  soul  into  the  agitation,  and  gave  a  lecture 
every  week  in  a  political  or  trade  association. 


DAYBREAK  189 

"  Pelle,  how  busy  you  are  !  "  said  Ellen,  when  he  came 
home.  Her  condition  filled  him  with  happiness ;  it  was 
like  a  seal  upon  their  new  union.  She  had  withdrawn  a 
little  more  into  herself,  and  over  her  face  and  figure  there 
was  thrown  a  touch  of  dreamy  gentleness.  She  met  him  at 
the  gate  now  a  little  helpless  and  remote — a  young  mother, 
to  be  touched  with  careful  hands.  He  saw  her  thriving 
from  day  to  day,  and  had  a  happy  feeling  that  things  were 
growing  for  him  on  all  sides. 

They  did  not  see  much  of  Morten.  He  was  passing 
through  a  crisis,  and  preferred  to  be  by  himself.  He  was 
always  complaining  that  he  could  not  get  on  with  his 
work.  Everything  he  began,  no  matter  how  small,  stuck 
fast. 

"  That's  because  you  don't  believe  in  it  any  longer," 
said  PeUe.  "  He  who  doubts  in  his  work  cuts  through 
the  branch  upon  which  he  is  himself  sitting." 

Morten  listened  to  him  with  an  expression  of  weariness. 
"  It's  much  more  than  that,"  he  said,  "  for  it's  the  men 
themselves  I  doubt,  Pelle.  I  feel  cold  and  haven't  been 
able  to  find  out  why  ;  but  now  I  know.  It's  because  men 
have  no  heart.  Everything  growing  is  dependent  upon 
warmth,  but  the  whole  of  our  culture  is  built  upon  coldness, 
and  that's  why  it's  so  cold  here." 

"  The  poor  people  have  a  heart  though,"  said  Pelle. 
"  It's  that  and  not  common  sense  that  keeps  them  up. 
If  they  hadn't  they'd  have  gone  to  ruin  long  ago — simply 
become  animals.  Why  haven't  they,  with  all  their  misery  ? 
Why  does  the  very  sewer  give  birth  to  bright  beings  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  poor  people  warm  one  another,  but  they're 
blue  with  cold  all  the  same  !  And  shouldn't  one  rather 
wish  that  they  had  no  heart  to  be  burdened  with  in  a 
community  that's  frozen  to  the  very  bottom  ?  I  envy 
those  who  can  look  at  misery  from  a  historical  point  of 


igo  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

view  and  comfort  themselves  with  the  future.  I  think 
myself  that  the  good  will  some  day  conquer,  but  it's  never- 
theless fearfully  unreasonable  that  millions  shall  first  go 
joyless  to  the  grave  in  the  battle  to  overcome  a  folly.  I'm 
an  irreconcilable,  that's  what  it  is  !  My  mind  has  arranged 
itself  for  other  conditions,  and  therefore  I  suffer  under  those 
that  exist.  Even  so  ordinary  a  thing  as  to  receive  money 
causes  me  suffering.  It's  mine,  but  I  can't  help  following 
it  back  in  my  thoughts.  What  want  has  been  caused  by 
its  passing  into  my  hands  ?  How  much  distress  and 
weeping  may  be  associated  with  it  ?  And  when  I  pay  it 
out  again  I'm  always  troubled  to  think  that  those  who've 
helped  me  get  too  little — my  washerwoman  and  the  others. 
They  can  scarcely  live,  and  the  fault  is  mine  among  others  ! 
Then  my  thoughts  set  about  finding  out  the  others'  wants 
and  I  get  no  peace ;  every  time  I  put  a  bit  of  bread  into 
my  mouth,  or  see  the  stores  in  the  shops,  I  can't  help 
thinking  of  those  who  are  starving.  I  suffer  terribly 
through  not  being  able  to  alter  conditions  of  which  the 
folly  is  so  apparent.  It's  of  no  use  for  me  to  put  it  down 
to  morbidness,  for  it's  not  that ;  it's  a  forestalling  in  myself. 
We  must  all  go  that  way  some  day,  if  the  oppressed  do  not 
rise  before  then  and  turn  the  point  upwards.  You  see 
I'm  condemned  to  live  in  all  the  others'  miseries,  and  my 
own  life  has  not  been  exactly  rich  in  sunshine.  Think  of 
my  childhood,  how  joyless  it  was  !  I  haven't  your  fund 
to  draw  from,  Pelle,  remember  that !  " 

No,  there  had  not  been  much  sunshine  on  Morten's 
path,  and  now  he  cowered  and  shivered  with  cold. 

One  evening,  however,  he  rushed  into  the  sitting-room, 
waving  a  sheet  of  paper.  "  I've  received  a  legacy,"  he 
cried.  "  To-morrow  morning  I  shall  start  for  the  South." 

"  But  you'll  have  to  arrange  your  affairs  first,"  said 
Pelle. 


DAYBREAK  191 

"  Arrange  ?  "  Morten  laughed.  "Oh  no  !  You're 
always  ready  to  start  on  a  journey.  All  my  life  I've  been 
ready  for  a  tour  round  the  world  at  an  hour's  notice !  " 
He  walked  to  and  fro,  rubbing  his  hands.  "  Ah,  now  I 
shall  drink  the  sunshine — let  myself  be  baked  through  and 
through  !  I  think  it'll  be  good  for  my  chest  to  hop  over 
a  winter." 

"  How  far  are  you  going  ?  "  asked  Ellen,  with  shining 
eyes. 

"  To  Southern  Italy  and  Spain.  I  want  to  go  to  a  place 
where  the  cold  doesn't  pull  off  the  coats  of  thousands  while 
it  helps  you  on  with  your  furs.  And  then  I  want  to  see 
people  who  haven't  had  a  share  in  the  blessings  of  mechanical 
culture,  but  upon  whom  the  sun  has  shone  to  make  up 
for  it — sunshine-beings  like  little  Johanna  and  her  mother 
and  grandmother,  but  who've  been  allowed  to  live.  Oh, 
how  nice  it'll  be  to  see  for  once  poor  people  who  aren't 
cold !  " 

"  Just  let  him  get  off  as  quickly  as  possible,"  said  Ellen, 
when  Morten  had  gone  up  to  pack ;  "for  if  he  once  gets 
the  poor  into  his  mind,  it'll  all  come  to  nothing.  I  expect 
I  shall  put  a  few  of  your  socks  and  a  little  underclothing 
into  his  trunk  ;  he's  got  no  change.  If  only  he'll  see  that 
his  things  go  to  the  wash,  and  that  they  don't  ruin  them 
with  chlorine  !  " 

"  Don't  you  think  you'd  better  look  after  him  a  little 
while  he's  packing  ?  "  asked  Pelle.  "  Or  else  I'm  afraid 
he'll  not  take  what  he'll  really  want.  Morten  would  some- 
times forget  his  own  head." 

Ellen  went  upstairs  with  the  things  she  had  looked  out. 
It  was  fortunate  that  she  did  so,  for  Morten  had  packed  his 
trunk  quite  full  of  books,  and  laid  the  necessary  things 
aside.  When  she  took  everything  out  and  began  all  over 
again,  he  fidgeted  about  and  was  quite  unhappy  ;  it  had 


192  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

been  arranged  so  nicely,  the  fiction  all  together  in  one  place, 
the  proletariat  writings  in  another  ;  he  could  have  put  his 
hand  in  and  taken  out  anything  he  wanted.  But  Ellen 
had  no  mercy.  Everything  had  to  be  emptied  on  to  the 
floor,  and  he  had  to  bring  every  stitch  of  clothing  he  pos- 
sessed and  lay  them  on  chairs,  whence  she  selected  the 
necessary  garments.  At  each  one  that  was  placed  in  the 
trunk,  Morten  protested  meekly  :  it  really  could  not  be 
worth  while  to  take  socks  with  him,  nor  yet  several  changes 
of  linen  ;  you  simply  bought  them  as  you  required  them. 
Indeed  ?  Could  it  not  ?  But  it  was  worth  while  lugging 
about  a  big  trunk  full  of  useless  books  like  any  colporteur, 
was  it  ? 

Ellen  was  on  her  knees  before  the  trunk,  and  was  getting 
on  with  her  task.  Pelle  came  up  and  stood  leaning  against 
the  door-jamb,  looking  at  them.  "  That's  right !  Just 
give  him  a  coating  of  paint  that  will  last  till  he  gets  home 
again  !  "  he  said  laughing.  "  He  may  need  it  badly." 

Morten  sat  upon  a  chair  looking  crestfallen.  "  Thank 
goodness  I'm  not  married !  "  he  said.  "  I  really  begin  to 
be  sorry  for  you,  Pelle."  It  was  evident  that  he  was  enjoy- 
ing being  looked  after. 

"  Yes,  now  you  can  see  what  a  domestic  affliction  I  have 
to  bear,"  Pelle  answered  gravely. 

Ellen  let  them  talk.  The  trunk  was  now  cram  full,  and 
she  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  would  not  be 
going  about  like  a  tramp.  There  were  only  his  toilet 
articles  left  now  ;  even  those  he  had  forgotten.  She  drew 
a  huge  volume  out  of  the  pocket  for  these  articles  inside  the 
lid  of  the  trunk  to  make  room  for  his  washing  things  ; 
but  at  that  Morten  sprang  forward.  "  I  must  have  that 
with  me,  whatever  else  is  left  out,"  he  said  with  deter- 
mination. It  was  Victor  Hugo's  "  Les  Miserables,"  Morten's 
Bible. 


DAYBREAK  193 

Ellen  opened  it  at  the  title-page  to  see  if  it  really  was 
so  necessary  to  travel  about  with  such  a  monster  ;  it  was 
as  big  as  a  loaf. 

"  There's  no  room  for  it,"  she  declared,  and  quietly 
laid  it  on  one  side,  "  that's  to  say  if  you  want  things  to 
wash  yourself  with ;  and  you're  sure  to  meet  plenty  of 
unhappy  people  wherever  you  go,  for  there's  always  enough 
of  them  everywhere." 

"  Then  perhaps  Madam  will  not  permit  me  to  take  my 
writing  things  with  me  ?  "  questioned  Morten,  in  a  tone  of 
supplication. 

"  Oh  yes  !  "  answered  Ellen,  laughing,  "  and  you  may 
use  them  too,  to  do  something  beautiful — that's  to  say  if 
it's  us  poor  people  you're  writing  for.  There's  sorrow  and 
misery  enough  !  " 

"  When  the  sun's  shone  properly  upon  me,  I'll  come  home 
and  write  you  a  book  about  it,"  said  Morten,  seriously. 

The  following  day  was  Sunday.  Morten  was  up  early 
and  went  out  to  the  churchyard.  He  was  gone  a  long  time, 
and  they  waited  breakfast  for  him.  "  He's  coming  now," 
cried  Lasse  Fredrik,  who  had  been  up  to  the  hill  farm  for 
milk.  "  I  saw  him  down  in  the  field. 

"  Then  we  can  put  the  eggs  on,"  said  Ellen  to  Sister, 
who  helped  her  a  little  in  the  kitchen. 

Morten  was  in  a  solemn  mood.  "  The  roses  on  Johanna's 
grave  have  been  picked  again,"  he  said.  "  I  can't  imagine 
how  any  one  can  have  the  heart  to  rob  the  dead ;  they 
are  really  the  poorest  of  us  all." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that  !  "  exclaimed  Pelle. 
"  A  month  ago  you  thought  the  dead  were  the  only  ones 
who  were  well  off." 

"  You're  a  rock  !  "  said  Morten,  smiling  and  putting  his 
hands  on  the  other's  shoulders.  "  If  everything  else  were  to 
change,  we  should  always  know  where  you  were  to  be  found." 
VOL.  iv.  o 


194  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Come  to  table  !  "  cried  Ellen,  "  but  at  once,  or  the 
surprise  will  be  cold."  She  stood  waiting  with  a  covered 
dish  in  her  hand. 

"  Why,  I  believe  you've  got  new-laid  eggs  there  !  " 
exclaimed  Pelle,  in  astonishment. 

"  Yes,  the  hens  have  begun  to  lay  again  the  last  few 
days.  It  must  be  in  Morten's  honour." 

"  No,  it's  in  honour  of  the  fine  weather,  and  because 
they're  allowed  to  run  about  anywhere  now,"  said  Lasse 
Fredrik. 

Morten  laughed.  "  Lasse  Fredrik's  an  incorrigible 
realist,"  he  said.  "  Life  needs  no  adornment  for  him." 

Ellen  looked  well  after  Morten.  "  Now  you  must  make 
a  good  breakfast,"  she  said.  "  You  can't  be  sure  you'll 
get  proper  food  out  there  in  foreign  countries."  She  was 
thinking  with  horror  of  the  messes  her  lodgers  in  the 
"  Palace  "  had  put  together. 

The  carriage  was  at  the  door,  the  trunk  was  put  up 
beside  the  driver,  and  Morten  and  Pelle  got  into  the  carriage, 
not  before  it  was  time  either.  They  started  at  a  good  pace, 
Lasse  Fredrik  and  Sister  each  standing  on  a  step  all  the  way 
down  to  the  main  road.  Up  at  the  gable  window  Ellen 
stood  and  waved,  holding  Boy  Comfort  by  the  hand. 

"  It  must  be  strange  to  go  away  from  everything,"  said 
Pelle. 

"  Yes,  it  might  be  strange  for  you,"  answered  Morten, 
taking  a  last  look  at  Pelle's  home.  "  But  I'm  not  going 
away  from  anything  ;  on  the  contrary  I'm  going  to  meet 
things." 

"It'll  be  strange  at  any  rate  not  having  you  walking 
about  overhead  any  more,  especially  for  Ellen  and  the 
children.  But  I  suppose  we  shall  hear  from  you  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes !  and  you'll  let  me  hear  how  your  business 
gets  on,  won't  you  ?  " 


DAYBREAK  195 

The  train  started.  Pelle  felt  his  heart  contract  as  he 
stood  and  gazed  after  it,  feeling  as  though  it  were  taking 
part  of  him  with  it.  It  had  always  been  a  dream  of  his 
to  go  out  and  see  a  little  of  the  world  ;  ever  since  "  Gari- 
baldi "  had  appeared  in  the  little  workshop  at  home  in  the 
provincial  town  he  had  looked  forward  to  it.  Now  Morten 
was  going,  but  he  himself  would  never  get  away  ;  he  must 
be  content  with  the  "  journey  abroad  "  he  had  had.  For 
a  moment  Pelle  stood  looking  along  the  lines  where  the 
train  had  disappeared,  with  his  thoughts  far  away  in 
melancholy  dreams  ;  then  he  woke  up  and  discovered  that 
without  intending  it  he  had  been  feeling  his  home  a  clog 
upon  his  feet.  And  there  were  Ellen  and  the  children  at 
home  watching  for  his  coming,  while  he  stood  here  and 
dreamed  himself  away  from  them  !  They  would  do  nothing 
until  he  came,  for  Sunday  was  his  day,  the  only  day  they 
really  had  him.  He  hurried  out  and  jumped  on  to  a  tram. 

As  he  leaped  over  the  ditch  into  the  field  at  the  tramway 
terminus,  he  caught  sight  of  Brun  a  little  farther  along  the 
path.  The  old  librarian  was  toiling  up  the  hill,  his  asthma 
making  him  pause  every  now  and  then.  "  He's  on  his  way 
to  us  !  "  said  Pelle  to  himself,  touched  at  the  thought ;  it 
had  not  struck  him  before  how  toilsome  this  walk  over 
ploughed  fields  and  along  bad  roads  must  be  for  the  old 
man  ;  and  yet  he  did  it  several  times  in  the  week  to  come 
out  and  see  them. 

"  Well,  here  I  am  again  !  "  said  Brun,  "  I  only  hope 
you're  not  getting  tired  of  me." 

"  There's  no  danger  of  that  !  "  answered  Pelle,  taking 
his  arm  to  help  him  up  the  hill.  "  The  children  are  quite 
silly  about  you  !  " 

"  Yes,  the  children — I'm  safe  enough  with  them,  and 
with  you  too,  Pelle  ;  but  your  wife  makes  me  a  little 
uncertain." 


196  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Ellen's  rather  reserved,  but  it's  only  her  manner  ; 
she's  very  fond  of  you,"  said  Pelle,  warmly.  "  Any  one 
who  takes  the  children  on  his  knee  wins  Ellen's  heart." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  I've  always  despised  woman 
because  she  lacks  personality — until  I  got  to  know  your 
wife.  She's  an  exceptional  wife  you've  got,  Pelle  ;  hers 
is  a  strong  nature,  so  strong  that  she  makes  me  un- 
certain. Couldn't  you  get  her  to  leave  off  calling  me 
Mr.  Brun  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  her,"  said  Pelle,  laughing  ;  "  but  I'm  not  sure 
it'll  be  of  any  use." 

"  This  Mr.  Brun  is  beginning  to  be  an  intolerable  person, 
let  me  tell  you  ;  and  in  your  house  I  should  like  to  get  away 
from  him.  Just  imagine  what  it  means  to  be  burdened 
all  your  life  with  a  gentleman  like  that,  who  doesn't  stand 
in  close  relationship  to  anybody  at  all.  Others  are  called 
'  Father,'  '  Grandfather ' — something  or  other  human ;  but 
all  conditions  of  life  dispose  of  me  with  a  '  Mr.  Brun  !  ' 
'  Thank  you,  Mr.  Brun  ! '  '  Many  thanks,  Mr.  Brun  ! '  " 
The  old  man  had  worked  himself  up,  and  made  the  name  a 
caricature. 

"  These  are  bad  roads  out  here,"  he  said  suddenly, 
stopping  to  take  breath.  "It's  incomprehensible  that  these 
fields  should  be  allowed  to  lie  here  just  outside  the  town — 
that  speculation  hasn't  got  hold  of  them." 

"  I  suppose  it's  because  of  the  boggy  ground  down 
there,"  said  Pelle.  "  They've  begun  to  fill  it  in,  however, 
at  the  north  end,  I  see." 

Brun  peered  in  that  direction  with  some  interest,  but 
gave  it  up,  shaking  his  head. 

"  No,  I  can't  see  so  far  without  glasses  ;  that's  another 
of  the  blessings  bestowed  by  books.  Yes  it  is !  Old 
people  in  the  country  only  make  use  of  spectacles  when 
they  want  to  look  at  a  book,  but  I  have  to  resort  to  them 


DAYBREAK  197 

when  I  want  to  find  my  way  about  the  world  :  that  makes 
a  great  difference.  It's  the  fault  of  the  streets  and  those 
stupid  books  that  I'm  short-sighted ;  you  don't  get  any 
outlook  if  you  don't  live  in  the  country.  The  town  shuts 
up  all  your  senses,  and  the  books  take  you  away  from  life  ; 
so  I'm  thinking  of  moving  out  too." 

"  Is  that  wise  now  just  before  the  winter  ?  It  wouldn't 
do  for  you  to  go  in  and  out  in  all  kinds  of  weather." 

"  Then  I'll  give  up  the  library,"  answered  Brun.  "  I 
shan't  miss  it  much ;  I've  spent  enough  of  my  life  there. 
Fancy,  Pelle  !  it  occurred  to  me  last  night  that  I'd  helped 
to  catalogue  most  of  the  literature  of  the  world,  but  haven't 
even  seen  a  baby  dressed !  What  right  have  people  like 
me  to  have  an  opinion  ?  " 

"  I  can't  understand  that,"  said  Pelle.  "  Books  have 
given  me  so  much  help." 

"  Yes,  because  you  had  the  real  thing.  If  I  were  young, 
I  would  go  out  and  set  to  work  with  my  hands.  I've 
missed  more  through  never  having  worked  with  my  body 
till  I  was  hot  and  tired,  than  you  have  through  not  knowing 
the  great  classic  writers.  I'm  discovering  my  own  poverty, 
Pelle  ;  and  I  would  willingly  exchange  everything  for  a 
place  as  grandfather  by  a  cosy  fireside." 

The  children  came  running  across  the  field.  "  Have  you 
got  anything  for  us  to-day  ?  "  they  cried  from  a  long 
distance. 

"  Yes,  but  not  until  we  get  into  the  warmth.  I  daren't 
unbutton  my  coat  out  here  because  of  my  cough." 

"  Well,  but  you  walk  so  slowly,"  said  Boy  Comfort. 
"  Is  it  because  you're  so  old  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  it,"  answered  the  old  man,  laughing. 
"  You  must  exercise  a  little  patience." 

Patience,  however,  was  a  thing  of  which  the  children 
possessed  little,  and  they  seized  hold  of  his  coat  and  pulled 


I98  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

him  along.  He  was  quite  out  of  breath  when  they  reached 
the  house. 

Ellen  looked  severely  at  the  children,  but  said  nothing. 
She  helped  Brun  off  with  his  coat  and  neckerchief,  and  after 
seeing  him  comfortably  seated  in  the  sitting-room,  went 
out  into  the  kitchen.  Pelle  guessed  there  was  something 
she  wanted  to  say  to  him,  and  followed  her. 

"  Pelle,"  she  said  gravely,  "  the  children  are  much  too 
free  with  Mr.  Brun.  I  can't  think  how  you  can  let  them 
do  it." 

"  Well  but  he  likes  it,  Ellen,  or  of  course  I  should  stop 
them.  It's  just  what  he  likes.  And  do  you  know  what 
I  think  he  would  like  still  better  ?  If  you  would  ask  him 
to  live  with  us." 

"  That  I'll  never  do  !  "  declared  Ellen,  decidedly.  "  It 
would  look  so  extraordinary  of  me." 

"  But  if  he  wants  a  home,  and  likes  us  ?  He's  got  no 
friends  but  us." 

No — no,  Ellen  could  not  understand  that  all  the  same, 
with  the  little  they  had  to  offer.  And  Brun,  who  could 
afford  to  pay  for  all  the  comforts  that  could  be  had  for 
money  !  "  If  he  came,  I  should  have  to  have  new  table- 
linen  at  any  rate,  and  good  carpets  on  the  floors,  and  lots 
of  other  things." 

"  You  can  have  them  too,"  said  Pelle.  "  Of  course 
we'll  have  everything  as  nice  as  we  can,  though  Brun's 
quite  as  easily  pleased  as  we  are." 

That  might  be  so,  but  Ellen  was  the  mistress  of  the 
house,  and  there  were  things  she  could  not  let  go.  "  If 
Mr.  Brun  would  like  to  live  with  us,  he  shall  be  made 
comfortable,"  she  said  ;  "  but  it's  funny  he  doesn't  propose 
it  himself,  for  he  can  do  it  much  better  than  we  can." 

"  No,  it  must  come  from  us — from  you,  Ellen.  He's 
a  little  afraid  of  you." 


DAYBREAK  199 

"  Of  me  ?  "  exclaimed  Ellen,  in  dismay.  "  And  I  who 
would — why  there's  no  one  I'd  sooner  be  kind  to !  Then 
I'll  say  it,  Pelle,  but  not  just  now."  She  put  up  her  hands 
to  her  face,  which  was  glowing  with  pleasure  and  confusion 
at  the  thought  that  her  little  home  was  worth  so  much. 

Pelle  went  back  to  the  sitting-room.  Brun  was  sitting 
on  the  sofa  with  Boy  Comfort  on  his  knee.  "  He's  a  regular 
little  urchin  !  "  he  said.  ' '  But  he's  not  at  all  like  his  mother. 
He's  got  your  features  all  through." 

"  Ellen  isn't  his  mother,"  said  Pelle,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Oh,  isn't  she.  It's  funny  that  he  should  have  those 
three  wrinkles  in  his  forehead  like  you  ;  they're  like  the 
wave-lines  in  the  countenance  of  Denmark.  You  both 
look  as  if  you  were  always  angry." 

"  So  we  were  at  that  time,"  said  Pelle. 

"  Talking  of  anger  " — Brun  went  on — "  I  applied  to  the 
police  authorities  yesterday,  and  got  them  to  promise  to 
give  up  their  persecution  of  Peter  Dreyer,  on  condition  that 
he  ceases  his  agitation  among  the  soldiers." 

"  We  shall  never  get  him  to  agree  to  that ;  it  would  be 
the  same  thing  as  requiring  him  to  swear  away  his  rights 
as  a  man.  He  has  taught  himself,  by  a  great  effort,  to 
use  parliamentary  expressions,  and  nobody'll  ever  get  him 
to  do  more.  In  the  matter  of  the  cause  itself  he'll  never 
yield,  and  there  I  agree  with  him.  If  you  mayn't  even 
fight  the  existing  conditions  with  spiritual  weapons,  there'll 
be  an  end  of  everything." 

"  Yes,  that's  true,"  said  Brun,  "  only  I'm  sorry  for  him. 
The  police  keep  him  in  a  perpetual  state  of  inflammation. 
He  can't  have  any  pleasure  in  life." 


XVI 

PELLE  was  always  hoping  that  Peter  Dreyer  would  acquire 
a  calmer  view  of  life.  It  was  his  intention  to  start  a 
co-operative  business  in  the  course  of  the  spring  at  Aarhus 
too,  and  Peter  was  appointed  to  start  it.  But  his  spirit 
seemed  incurable ;  every  time  he  calmed  down  a  little, 
conditions  roused  him  to  antagonism  again.  This  time  it 
was  the  increase  of  unemployment  that  touched  him. 

The  senseless  persecution,  moreover,  kept  him  in  a  state 
of  perpetual  irritation.  Even  when  he  was  left  alone,  as 
now,  he  had  the  feeling  that  they  were  wondering  how  they 
could  get  him  to  blunder — apparently  closed  their  eyes  in 
order  to  come  down  upon  him  with  all  the  more  force. 
He  never  knew  whether  he  was  bought  or  sold. 

The  business  was  now  so  large  that  they  had  to  move 
the  actual  factory  into  the  back  building,  and  take  the 
whole  of  the  basement  for  the  repairing  workshop.  Peter 
Dreyer  managed  this  workshop,  and  there  was  no  fault  to 
find  with  his  management ;  he  was  energetic  and  vigilant. 
He  was  not  capable,  however,  of  managing  work  on  a  large 
scale,  for  his  mind  was  in  constant  oscillation.  In  spite  of 
his  abilities  he  was  burning  to  no  purpose. 

"  He  might  drop  his  agitation  and  take  up  something 
more  useful,"  said  Brun,  one  evening  when  he  and  Pelle 
sat  discussing  the  matter.  "Nothing's  accomplished  by 
violence  anyhow  !  And  he's  only  running  his  head  against 
a  brick  wall  himself  !  " 


DAYBREAK  201 

"  You  didn't  think  so  some  time  ago,"  said  Pelle.  It 
was  Brun's  pamphlets  on  the  rights  of  the  individual  that 
had  first  roused  Peter  Dreyer's  attention. 

"No,  I  know  that.  I  once  thought  that  the  whole 
thing  must  be  smashed  to  pieces  in  order  that  a  new  world 
might  arise  out  of  chaos.  I  didn't  know  you,  and  I  didn't 
think  my  own  class  too  good  to  be  tossed  aside  ;  they 
were  only  hindering  the  development.  But  you've  con- 
verted me.  I  was  a  little  too  quick  to  condemn  your 
slowness ;  you  have  more  connectedness  in  you  than  I. 
Our  little  business  in  there  has  proved  to  me  that  the 
common  people  are  wise  to  admit  their  heritage  from  and 
debt  to  the  upper  class.  I'm  sorry  to  see  Peter  running 
off  the  track  ;  he's  one  of  your  more  talented  men.  Couldn't 
we  get  him  out  here  ?  He  could  have  one  of  my  rooms. 
I  think  he  needs  a  few  more  comforts." 

"  You'd  better  propose  it  to  him  yourself,"  said 
Pelle. 

The  next  day  Bran  went  into  town  with  Pelle  and  pro- 
posed it,  but  Peter  Dreyer  declined  with  thanks.  "  I've 
no  right  to  your  comforts  as  long  as  there  are  twenty 
thousand  men  that  have  neither  food  nor  firing,"  he  said, 
dismissing  the  subject.  "But  you're  an  anarchist,  of  course," 
he  added  scornfully,  "  and  a  millionaire,  from  what  I  hear  ; 
so  the  unemployed  have  nothing  to  fear  !  "  He  had  been 
disappointed  on  becoming  personally  acquainted  with  the 
old  philosopher,  and  never  disguised  his  ill-will. 

"  I  think  you  know  that  I  have  already  placed  my 
fortune  at  the  disposal  of  the  poor,"  said  Bran,  in  an  offended 
tone,  "  and  my  manner  of  doing  so  will,  I  hope,  some  day 
justify  itself.  If  I  were  to  divide  what  I  possess  to-day 
among  the  unemployed,  it  would  have  evaporated  like  dew 
by  to-morrow,  so  tremendous,  unfortunately,  is  the  want 
now." 


202  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Peter  Dreyer  shrugged  his  shoulders.  The  more  reason 
was  there,  he  thought,  to  help. 

"  Would  you  have  us  sacrifice  our  great  plan  of  making 
all  want  unnecessary,  for  one  meal  of  food  to  the  needy  ?  " 
asked  Pelle. 

Yes,  Peter  saw  only  the  want  of  to-day  ;  it  was  such  a 
terrible  reality  to  him  that  the  future  must  take  care  of 
itself. 

A  change  had  taken  place  in  him,  and  he  seemed  quite 
to  have  given  up  the  development. 

"  He  sees  too  much,"  said  Pelle  to  Brun,  "  and  now  his 
heart  has  dominated  his  reason.  We'd  better  leave  him 
alone ;  we  shan't  in  any  case  get  him  to  admit  anything, 
and  we  only  irritate  him.  It's  impossible  to  live  with  all 
that  he  always  has  before  his  eyes,  and  yet  keep  your  head 
clear  ;  you  must  either  shut  your  eyes  and  harden  yourself, 
or  let  yourself  be  broken  to  pieces." 

Peter  Dreyer 's  heart  was  the  obstruction.  He  often 
had  to  stop  in  the  middle  of  his  work  and  gasp  for  breath. 
"I'm  suffocated  !  "  he  would  say. 

There  were  many  like  him.  The  ever-increasing  unem- 
ployment began  to  spread  panic  in  men's  minds.  It  was 
no  longer  only  the  young,  hot-headed  men  who  lost  patience. 
Out  of  the  great  compact  mass  of  organisation,  in  which  it 
had  hitherto  been  impossible  to  distinguish  the  individual 
beings,  simple-minded  men  suddenly  emerged  and  made 
themselves  ridiculous  by  bearing  the  truth  of  the  age  upon 
their  lips.  Poor  people,  who  understood  nothing  of  the 
laws  of  life,  nevertheless  awakened,  disappointed,  out  of 
the  drowsiness  into  which  the  rhythm  had  lulled  them, 
and  stirred  impatiently.  Nothing  happened  except  that  one 
picked  trade  after  another  left  them  to  become  middle-class. 

The  Movement  had  hitherto  been  the  fixed  point  of 
departure  ;  from  it  came  everything  that  was  of  any 


DAYBREAK  203 

importance,  and  the  light  fell  from  it  over  the  day.  But 
now  suddenly  a  germ  was  developed  in  the  simplest  of 
them,  and  they  put  a  note  of  interrogation  after  the  party- 
cry.  To  everything  the  answer  was  :  When  the  movement 
is  victorious,  things  will  be  otherwise.  But  how  could  they 
be  otherwise  when  no  change  had  taken  place  even  now 
when  they  had  the  power  ?  A  little  improvement  perhaps, 
but  no  change.  It  had  become  the  regular  refrain,  when- 
ever a  woman  gave  birth  to  a  child  in  secret,  or  a  man  stole, 
or  beat  his  wife  : — It  is  a  consequence  of  the  system  !  Up 
and  vote,  comrades  !  But  now  it  was  beginning  to  sound 
idiotic  in  their  ears.  They  were  voting,  confound  it,  with 
all  their  might,  but  all  the  same  everything  was  becoming 
dearer  !  Goodness  knows  they  were  law-abiding  enough. 
They  were  positively  perspiring  with  parliamentarianism, 
and  would  soon  be  doing  nothing  but  getting  mandates. 
And  what  then  ?  Did  any  one  doubt  that  the  poor  man 
was  in  the  majority — an  overwhelming  majority  ?  What 
was  all  this  nonsense  then  that  the  majority  were  to  gain  ? 
No,  those  who  had  the  power  would  take  good  care  to 
keep  it ;  so  they  might  win  whatever  stupid  mandates  they 
liked ! 

Men  had  too  much  respect  for  the  existing  conditions, 
and  so  they  were  always  being  fooled  by  them.  It  was 
all  very  well  with  all  this  lawfulness,  but  you  didn't  only 
go  gradually  from  the  one  to  the  other !  How  else  was 
it  that  nothing  of  the  new  happened  ?  The  fact  was  that 
every  single  step  towards  the  new  was  instantly  swallowed 
up  by  the  existing  condition  of  things,  and  turned  to  fat 
on  its  ribs.  Capital  grew  fat,  confound  it,  no  matter  what 
you  did  with  it  ;  it  was  like  a  cat,  which  always  falls  upon 
its  feet.  Each  time  the  workmen  obtained  by  force  a 
small  rise  in  their  wages,  the  employers  multiplied  it  by 
two  and  put  it  on  to  the  goods ;  that  was  why  they  were 


204  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

beginning  to  be  so  accommodating  with  regard  to  certain 
wage-demands.  Those  who  were  rather  well  off,  capital 
enticed  over  to  its  side,  leaving  the  others  behind  as  a 
shabby  proletariat.  It  might  be  that  the  Movement  had 
done  a  good  piece  of  work,  but  you  wanted  confounded 
good  eyes  to  see  it. 

Thus  voices  were  raised.  At  first  it  was  only  whiners 
about  whom  nobody  needed  to  trouble — frequenters  of 
public-houses,  who  sat  and  grumbled  in  their  cups ;  but 
gradually  it  became  talk  that  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth ; 
the  spectre  of  unemployment  haunted  every  home  and 
made  men  think  over  matters  once  more  on  their  own 
account ;  no  one  could  know  when  his  turn  would  come 
to  sweep  the  pavement. 

Pelle  had  no  difficulty  in  catching  the  tone  of  all  this ; 
it  was  his  own  settlement  with  the  advance  on  coming  out 
of  prison  that  was  now  about  to  become  every  one's.  But 
now  he  was  another  man  !  He  was  no  longer  sure  that  the 
Movement  had  been  so  useless.  It  had  not  done  anything 
that  marked  a  boundary,  but  it  had  kept  the  apparatus 
going  and  strengthened  it.  It  had  carried  the  masses  over 
a  dead  period,  even  if  only  by  letting  them  go  in  a  circle. 
And  now  the  idea  was  ready  to  take  them  again.  Perhaps 
it  was  a  good  thing  that  there  had  not  been  too  great 
progress,  or  they  would  probably  never  have  wakened 
again.  They  might  very  well  starve  a  little  longer,  until 
they  could  establish  themselves  in  their  own  world ;  fat 
slaves  soon  lost  sight  of  liberty. 

Behind  the  discontented  fussing,  Pelle  could  hear  the 
new.  It  expressed  itself  in  remarkable  ways.  A  party  of 
workmen — more  than  two  hundred — who  were  employed 
on  a  large  excavation  work,  were  thrown  out  of  work  by 
the  bankruptcy  of  the  contractor.  A  new  contractor  took 
over  the  work,  but  the  men  made  it  a  condition  for  beginning 


DAYBREAK  205 

work  again  that  he  should  pay  them  the  wages  that  were  due 
to  them,  and  also  for  the  time  they  were  unemployed.  "  We 
have  no  share  in  the  cake,"  they  said,  "  so  you  must  take 
the  risk  too  !  "  They  made  the  one  employer  responsible 
for  the  other  !  And  capriciously  refused  good  work  at  a 
time  when  thousands  were  unemployed !  Public  opinion 
almost  lost  its  head,  and  even  their  own  press  held  aloof 
from  them  ;  but  they  obstinately  kept  to  their  determina- 
tion, and  joined  the  crowd  of  unemployed  until  their 
unreasonable  demand  was  submitted  to. 

Pelle  heard  a  new  tone  here.  For  the  first  time  the 
lower  class  made  capital  responsible  for  its  sins,  without  any 
petty  distinction  between  Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry.  There 
was  beginning  to  be  perspective  in  the  feeling  of  solidarity. 

The  great  weariness  occasioned  by  wandering  in  a 
spiritual  desert,  came  once  more  to  the  surface.  He  had 
experienced  the  same  thing  once  before,  when  the  Move- 
ment was  raised  ;  but  oddly  enough  the  breaking  out  came 
that  time  from  the  bottom  of  everything.  It  began  with 
blind  attacks  on  parliamentarianism,  the  suffrage,  and  the 
paroles  ;  there  was  in  it  an  unconscious  rebellion  against 
restraint  and  treatment  in  the  mass.  By  an  incompre- 
hensible process  of  renewal,  the  mass  began  to  resolve 
itself  into  individuals,  who,  in  the  midst  of  the  bad  times, 
set  about  an  inquiry  after  the  ego  and  the  laws  for  its 
satisfaction.  They  came  from  the  very  bottom,  and 
demanded  that  their  shabby,  ragged  person  should  be 
respected. 

Where  did  they  come  from  ?  It  was  a  complete 
mystery  !  Did  it  not  sound  foolish  that  the  poor  man, 
after  a  century's  life  in  rags  and  discomfort,  which  ended 
in  his  entire  effacement  in  collectivism,  should  now  make 
his  appearance  with  the  strongest  claim  of  all,  and  demand 
his  soul  back  ? 


206  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Pelle  recognised  the  impatience  of  the  young  men  in 
this  commotion.  It  was  not  for  nothing  that  Peter  Dreyer 
was  the  moving  spirit  at  the  meetings  of  the  unemployed. 
Peter  wanted  him  to  come  and  speak,  and  he  went  with 
him  two  or  three  times,  as  he  wanted  to  find  out  the  relation 
of  these  people  to  his  idea  ;  but  he  remained  in  the  back- 
ground and  could  not  be  persuaded  to  mount  the  platform. 
He  had  nothing  to  do  with  these  confused  crowds,  who 
turned  all  his  ideas  upside  down.  In  any  case  he  could 
not  give  them  food  to-day,  and  he  had  grown  out  of  the 
use  of  strong  language. 

"  Go  up  and  say  something  nice  to  them  !  Don't  you 
see  how  starved  they  are  ?  "  said  Peter  Dreyer,  one  evening. 
"  They  still  have  confidence  in  you  from  old  days.  But 
don't  preach  co-operation ;  you  don't  feed  hungry  men  with 
music  of  the  future." 

"  Do  you  give  them  food  then  ?  "  asked  Pelle. 

"  No,  I  can't  do  that,  but  I  give  them  a  vent  for  their 
grievances,  and  get  them  to  rise  and  protest.  It's  some- 
thing at  any  rate,  that  they  no  longer  keep  silence  and 
submit." 

"  And  if  to-morrow  they  get  something  to  eat,  the 
whole  turmoil's  forgotten  ;  but  they're  no  further  on  than 
they  were.  Isn't  it  a  matter  of  indifference  whether  they 
suffer  want  to-day,  as  compared  with  the  question  whether 
they  will  do  so  eternally  ?  " 

"If  you  can  put  the  responsibility  upon  those  poor 
creatures,  you  must  be  a  hard-hearted  brute  !  "  said  Peter, 
angrily. 

Well,  it  was  necessary  now  to  harden  one's  heart,  for 
nothing  would  be  accomplished  with  sympathy  only  !  The 
man  with  eyes  that  watered  would  not  do  for  a  driver 
through  the  darkness. 

It  was  a  dull  time,  and  men  were  glad  when  they  could 


DAYBREAK  207 

keep  their  situations.  There  was  no  question  of  new  under- 
takings before  the  spring.  But  Pelle  worked  hard  to  gain 
adherents  to  his  idea.  He  had  started  a  discussion  in  the 
labour  party  press,  and  gave  lectures.  He  chose  the  quiet 
trade  unions,  disdained  all  agitation  eloquence,  and  put 
forward  his  idea  with  the  clearness  of  an  expert,  building 
it  up  from  his  own  experience  until,  without  any  fuss, 
by  the  mere  power  of  the  facts,  it  embraced  the  world. 
It  was  the  slow  ones  he  wanted  to  get  hold  of,  those  who 
had  been  the  firm  nucleus  of  the  Movement  through  all 
these  years,  and  steadfastly  continued  to  walk  in  the  old 
foot -prints,  although  they  led  nowhere.  It  was  the  picked 
troops  from  the  great  conflict  that  must  first  of  all  be  called 
upon  !  He  knew  that  if  he  got  them  to  go  into  fire  for 
his  idea  with  their  unyielding  discipline,  much  would  be 
gained. 

It  was  high  time  for  a  new  idea  to  come  and  take  them 
on  ;  they  had  grown  weary  of  this  perpetual  goose-step  ; 
the  Movement  was  running  away  from  them.  But  now 
he  had  come  with  an  idea  of  which  they  would  never  grow 
weary,  and  which  would  carry  them  right  through.  No  one 
would  be  able  to  say  that  he  could  not  understand  it,  for 
it  was  the  simple  idea  of  the  home  carried  out  so  as  to 
include  everything.  Ellen  had  taught  it  to  him,  and  if 
they  did  not  know  it  themselves,  they  must  go  home  to 
their  wives  and  learn  it.  They  did  not  brood  over  the 
question  as  to  which  of  the  family  paid  least  or  ate  most, 
but  gave  to  each  one  according  to  his  needs,  and  took  the 
will  for  the  deed.  The  world  would  be  like  a  good,  loving 
home,  where  no  one  oppressed  the  other — nothing  more 
complicated  than  that. 

Pelle  was  at  work  early  and  late.  Scarcely  a  day  passed 
on  which  he  did  not  give  a  lecture  or  write  about  his 
co-operation  idea.  He  was  frequently  summoned  into 


208  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

the  provinces  to  speak.  People  wanted  to  see  and  hear  the 
remarkable  manufacturer  who  earned  no  more  than  his 
work-people. 

In  these  journeys  he  came  to  know  the  country,  and 
saw  that  much  of  his  idea  had  been  anticipated  out  there. 
The  peasant,  who  stiffened  with  horror  at  the  word 
"  socialist,"  put  the  ideas  of  the  Movement  into  practice 
on  a  large  scale.  He  had  arranged  matters  on  the  co- 
operative system,  and  had  knitted  the  country  into  supply 
associations. 

"  We  must  join  on  there  when  we  get  our  business  into 
better  order,"  said  Pelle  to  Brun. 

"  Yes,  if  the  farmers  will  work  with  us,"  said  Brun, 
doubtfully.  "  They're  conservative,  you  know." 

This  was  now  almost  revolutionary.  As  far  as  Pelle 
could  see,  there  would  soon  be  no  place  as  big  as  his  thumb- 
nail for  capital  to  feed  upon  out  there.  The  farmers  went 
about  things  so  quickly  !  Pelle  came  of  peasant  stock 
himself,  and  did  not  doubt  that  he  would  be  able  to  get  in 
touch  with  the  country  when  the  time  came. 

The  development  was  preparing  on  several  sides  ;  they 
would  not  break  with  that  if  they  wanted  to  attain  any- 
thing. It  was  like  a  fixed  law  relating  to  growth  in 
existence,  an  inviolable  divine  idea  running  through  it  all. 
It  was  now  leading  him  and  his  fellows  into  the  fire,  and 
when  they  advanced,  no  one  must  stay  behind.  No  class 
of  the  community  had  yet  advanced  with  so  bright  and 
great  a  call ;  they  were  going  to  put  an  end  for  ever  to 
the  infamy  of  human  genius  sitting  and  weighing  the  spheres 
in  space,  but  forgetting  to  weigh  the  bread  justly. 

He  was  not  tired  of  the  awakening  discontent  with  the 
old  condition  of  things ;  it  opened  up  the  overgrown 
minds,  and  created  possibility  for  the  new.  At  present 
he  had  no  great  number  of  adherents  ;  various  new  currents 


DAYBREAK  209 

were  fighting  over  the  minds,  which,  in  their  faltering 
search,  were  drawn  now  to  one  side,  now  to  the  other.  But 
he  had  a  buoyant  feeling  of  serving  a  world-idea,  and  did 
not  lose  courage. 

Unemployment  and  the  awakening  ego-feeling  brought 
many  to  join  Peter  Dreyer.  They  rebelled  against  the 
conditions,  and  now  saw  no  alternative  but  to  break  with 
everything.  They  sprang  naked  out  of  nothing,  and  de- 
manded that  their  personality  should  be  respected,  but 
were  unable  as  yet  to  bear  its  burdens  ;  and  their  hopeless 
view  of  their  misery  threatened  to  stifle  them.  Then  they 
made  obstruction,  their  own  broken-down  condition  making 
them  want  to  break  down  the  whole.  They  were  Pelle's 
most  troublesome  opponents. 

Up  to  the  present  they  had  unfortunately  been  right, 
but  now  he  could  not  comprehend  their  desperate  im- 
patience. He  had  given  them  an  idea  now,  with  which 
they  could  conquer  the  world  just  by  preserving  their 
coherence,  and  if  they  did  not  accept  this,  there  must  be 
something  wrong  with  them.  Taking  this  view  of  the 
matter,  he  looked  upon  their  disintegrating  agitation  with 
composure  ;  the  healthy  mind  would  be  victorious  ! 

Peter  Dreyer  was  at  present  agitating  for  a  mass- 
meeting  of  the  unemployed.  He  wanted  the  twenty 
thousand  men,  with  wives  and  children,  to  take  up  their 
position  on  the  Council  House  Square  or  Amalienborg 
Palace  Square,  and  refuse  to  move  away  until  the  com- 
munity took  charge  of  them. 

"  Then  the  authorities  can  choose  between  listening  to 
their  demands,  and  driving  up  horses  and  cannons,"  he  said. 
Perhaps  that  would  open  up  the  question. 

"  Take  care  then  that  the  police  don't  arrest  you," 
said  Pelle,  in  a  warning  voice  ;  "or  your  people  will 
be  left  without  a  head,  and  you  will  have  enticed 

VOL.  IV.  P 


210  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

them  into  a  ridiculous  situation  which  can  only  end  in 
defeat." 

"  Let  them  take  care,  the  curs ! "  answered  Peter, 
threateningly.  "  I  shall  strike  at  the  first  hand  that 
attempts  to  seize  me  !  " 

"  And  what  then  ?  What  do  you  gain  by  striking  the 
policemen  ?  They  are  only  the  tool,  and  there  are  plenty 
of  them  !  " 

Peter  laughed  bitterly.  "  No,"  he  said,  "it's  not  the 
policemen,  nor  the  assistant,  nor  the  chief  of  police  !  It's 
no  one  !  That's  so  convenient,  no  one  can  help  it  !  They've 
always  stolen  a  march  upon  us  in  that  way  ;  the  evil  always 
dives  and  disappears  when  you  want  to  catch  it.  '  It 
wasn't  me  !  '  Now  the  workman's  demanding  his  right, 
the  employer  finds  it  to  his  advantage  to  disappear,  and 
the  impersonal  joint  stock  company  appears.  Oh,  this 
confounded  sneaking  out  of  a  thing !  Where  is  one  to 
apply  ?  There's  no  one  to  take  the  blame  !  But  some- 
thing shall  be  done  now !  If  I  hit  the  hand,  I  hit  what 
stands  behind  it  too  ;  you  must  hit  what  you  can  see. 
I've  got  a  revolver  to  use  against  the  police  ;  to  carry 
arms  against  one's  own  people  shall  not  be  made  a  harmless 
means  of  livelihood  unchallenged." 


XVII 

ONE  Saturday  evening  Pelle  came  home  by  train  from  a 
provincial  town  where  he  had  been  helping  to  start  a  co- 
operative undertaking. 

It  was  late,  but  many  shops  were  still  open  and  sent 
their  brilliant  light  out  into  the  drizzling  rain,  through 
which  the  black  stream  of  the  streets  flowed  as  fast  as 
ever.  It  was  the  time  when  the  working  women  came 
from  the  centre  of  the  city — pale  typists,  cashiers  with  the 
excitement  of  the  cheap  novel  still  in  their  eyes,  seam- 
stresses from  the  large  businesses.  Some  hurried  along 
looking  straight  before  them  without  taking  any  notice 
of  the  solitary  street -wanderers  ;  they  had  something 
waiting  for  them — a  little  child  perhaps.  Others  had 
nothing  to  hurry  for,  and  looked  weariedly  about  them  as 
they  walked,  until  perhaps  they  suddenly  brightened  up 
at  sight  of  a  young  man  in  the  throng. 

Charwomen  were  on  their  way  home  with  their  basket 
on  their  arm.  They  had  had  a  long  day,  and  dragged  their 
heavy  feet  along.  The  street  was  full  of  women  workers — a 
changed  world  !  The  bad  times  had  called  the  women  out 
and  left  the  men  at  home.  On  their  way  home  they  made 
their  purchases  for  Sunday.  In  the  butchers'  and  pro- 
vision-dealers' they  stood  waiting  like  tired  horses  for  their 
turn.  Shivering  children  stood  on  tiptoe  with  their  money 
clasped  convulsively  in  one  hand,  and  their  chin  supported 
on  the  edge  of  the  counter,  staring  greedily  at  the 


212  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

eatables,  while  the  light  was  reflected  from  their  ravenous 
eyes. 

Pelle  walked  quickly  to  reach  the  open  country.  He 
did  not  like  these  desolate  streets  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  where  poverty  rose  like  a  sea-birds'  nesting-place  on 
both  sides  of  the  narrow  cleft,  and  the  darkness  sighed 
beneath  so  much.  When  he  entered  an  endless  brick 
channel  such  as  these,  where  one-  and  two-roomed  flats,  in 
seven  storeys  extended  as  far  as  he  could  see,  he  felt  his 
courage  forsaking  him.  It  was  like  passing  through  a 
huge  churchyard  of  disappointed  hopes.  All  these  thousands 
of  families  were  like  so  many  unhappy  fates  ;  they  had  set 
out  brightly  and  hopefully,  and  now  they  stood  here, 
fighting  with  the  emptiness. 

Pelle  walked  quickly  out  along  the  field  road.  It  was 
pitch-dark  and  raining,  but  he  knew  every  ditch  and  path 
by  heart.  Far  up  on  the  hill  there  shone  a  light  which 
resembled  a  star  that  hung  low  in  the  sky.  It  must  be 
the  lamp  in  Brun's  bedroom.  He  wondered  at  the  old 
man  being  up  still,  for  he  was  soon  tired  now  that  he  had 
given  up  the  occupation  of  a  long  lifetime,  and  generally 
went  to  bed  early.  Perhaps  he  had  forgotten  to  put  out 
the  lamp. 

Pelle  had  turned  his  coat -collar  up  about  his  ears,  and 
was  in  a  comfortable  frame  of  mind.  He  liked  walking 
alone  in  the  dark.  Formerly  its  yawning  emptiness  had 
filled  him  with  a  panic  of  fear,  but  the  prison  had  made  his 
mind  familiar  with  it.  He  used  to  look  forward  to  these 
lonely  night  walks  home  across  the  fields.  The  noises  of 
the  city  died  away  behind  him,  and  he  breathed  the  pure 
air  that  seemed  to  come  straight  to  him  out  of  space.  All 
that  a  man  cannot  impart  to  others  arose  in  him  in  these 
walks.  In  the  daily  struggle  he  often  had  a  depressing 
feeling  that  the  result  depended  upon  pure  chance.  It  was 


DAYBREAK  213 

not  easy  to  obtain  a  hearing  through  the  thousand-voiced 
noise.  A  sensation  was  needed  in  order  to  attract  atten- 
tion, and  he  had  presented  himself  with  only  quite  an 
ordinary  idea,  and  declared  that  without  stopping  a  wheel 
it  could  remodel  the  world.  No  one  took  the  trouble  to 
oppose  him,  and  even  the  manufacturers  in  his  trade  took 
his  enterprise  calmly  and  seemed  to  have  given  up  the  war 
against  him.  He  had  expected  great  opposition,  and  had 
looked  forward  to  overcoming  it,  and  this  indifference 
sometimes  made  him  doubt  himself.  His  invincible  idea 
would  simply  disappear  in  the  motley  confusion  of  life  ! 

But  out  here  in  the  country,  where  night  lay  upon  the 
earth  like  great  rest,  his  strength  returned  to  him.  All  the 
indifference  fell  away,  and  he  saw  that  like  the  piers  of  a 
bridge,  his  reality  lay  beneath  the  surface.  Insignificant 
though  he  appeared,  he  rested  upon  an  immense  foundation. 
The  solitude  around  him  revealed  it  to  him  and  made  him 
feel  his  own  power.  While  they  overlooked  his  enterprise 
he  would  make  it  so  strong  that  they  would  run  their  head 
against  it  when  they  awoke. 

Pelle  was  glad  he  lived  in  the  country,  and  it  was  a 
dream  of  his  to  move  the  workmen  out  there  again  some 
day.  He  disliked  the  town  more  and  more,  and  never 
became  quite  familiar  with  it.  It  was  always  just  as 
strange  to  go  about  in  this  humming  hive,  where  each 
seemed  to  buzz  on  his  own  account,  and  yet  all  were  subject 
to  one  great  will — that  of  hunger.  The  town  exerted  a 
dull  power  over  men's  minds,  it  drew  the  poor  to  it  with 
lies  about  happiness,  and  when  it  once  had  them,  held 
them  fiendishly  fast.  The  poisonous  air  was  like  opium  ; 
the  most  miserable  beings  dream  they  are  happy  in  it ; 
and  when  they  have  once  got  a  taste  for  it,  they  had  not 
the  strength  of  mind  to  go  back  to  the  uneventful  everyday 
life  again.  There  was  always  something  dreadful  behind 


214  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

the  town's  physiognomy,  as  though  it  were  lying  in  wait 
to  drag  men  into  its  net  and  fleece  them.  In  the  daytime 
it  might  be  concealed  by  the  multitudinous  noises,  but  the 
darkness  brought  it  out. 

Every  evening  before  Pelle  went  to  bed,  he  went  out 
to  the  end  of  the  house  and  gazed  out  into  the  night.  It 
was  an  old  peasant-custom  that  he  had  inherited  from 
Father  Lasse  and  his  father  before  him.  His  inquiring 
gaze  sought  the  town  where  his  thoughts  already  were. 
On  sunny  days  there  was  only  smoke  and  mist  to  be  seen, 
but  on  a  dark  night  like  this,  there  was  a  cheerful  glow 
above  it.  The  town  had  a  peculiar  power  of  shedding 
darkness  round  about  it,  and  lighting  white  artificial  light 
in  it.  It  lay  low,  like  a  bog  with  the  land  sloping  down  to 
it  on  all  sides,  and  all  water  running  into  it.  Its  luminous 
mist  seemed  to  reach  to  the  uttermost  borders  of  the  land  ; 
everything  came  this  way.  Large  dragon-flies  hovered  over 
the  bog  in  metallic  splendour ;  gnats  danced  above  it  like 
careless  shadows.  A  ceaseless  hum  rose  from  it,  and 
below  lay  the  depth  that  had  fostered  them,  seething  so 
that  he  could  hear  it  where  he  stood. 

Sometimes  the  light  of  the  town  flickered  up  over  the 
sky  like  the  reflection  from  a  gigantic  forge-fire.  It  was 
like  an  enormous  heart  throbbing  in  panic  in  the  darkness 
down  there  ;  his  own  caught  the  infection  and  contracted 
in  vague  terror.  Cries  would  suddenly  rise  from  down  there, 
and  one  almost  wished  for  them  ;  a  loud  exclamation  was 
a  relief  from  the  everlasting  latent  excitement.  Down 
there  beneath  the  walls  of  the  city  the  darkness  was  always 
alive  ;  it  glided  along  like  a  heavy  life-stream,  flowing 
slowly  among  taverns  and  low  music-halls  and  barracks, 
with  their  fateful  contents  of  want  and  imprecations.  Its 
secret  doings  inspired  him  with  horror  ;  he  hated  the  town 
for  its  darkness  which  hid  so  much 


DAYBREAK  215 

He  had  stopped  in  front  of  his  house,  and  stood 
gazing  downwards.  Suddenly  he  heard  a  sound  from 
within  that  made  him  start,  and  he  quickly  let  himself 
in.  Ellen  came  out  into  the  passage  looking  disturbed. 

"  Thank  goodness  you've  come  !  "  she  exclaimed,  quite 
forgetting  to  greet  him.  "  Anna's  so  ill !  " 

"  Is  it  anything  serious  ?  "  asked  Pelle,  hurriedly  removing 
his  coat. 

"It's  the  old  story.  I  got  a  carriage  from  the  farm  to 
drive  in  for  the  doctor.  It  was  dear,  but  Brun  said  I  must. 
She's  to  have  hot  milk  with  Ems  salts  and  soda  water. 
You  must  warm  yourself  at  the  stove  before  you  go  up  to 
her,  but  make  haste  !  She  keeps  on  asking  for  you." 

The  sick-room  was  in  semi-darkness,  Ellen  having  put 
a  red  shade  over  the  lamp,  so  that  the  light  should  not 
annoy  the  child.  Brun  was  sitting  on  a  chair  by  her  bed, 
watching  her  intently  as  she  lay  muttering  in  a  feverish 
doze.  He  made  a  sign  to  Pelle  to  walk  quietly.  "  She's 
asleep  !  "  he  whispered.  The  old  man  looked  unhappy. 

Pelle  bent  silently  over  her.  She  lay  with  closed  eyes, 
but  was  not  asleep.  Her  hot  breath  came  in  short  gasps. 
As  he  was  about  to  raise  himself  again,  she  opened  her  eyes 
and  smiled  at  him. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  Sister  ?  Is  she  going  to  be  ill 
again  ?  "  he  said  softly.  "  I  thought  the  sun  had  sent 
that  naughty  bronchitis  away." 

The  child  shook  her  head  resignedly.  "  Listen  to  the 
cellar-man  !  "  she  whispered.  He  was  whistling  as  hard 
as  he  could  down  in  her  windpipe,  and  she  listened  to 
him  with  a  serious  expression.  Then  her  hand  stole  up 
and  she  stroked  her  father's  face  as  though  to  comfort 
him. 

Brun,  however,  put  her  hand  down  again  immediately 
and  covered  her  up  close.  "  We  very  nearly  lost  that  doll !  " 


216  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

he  said  seriously.  He  had  promised  her  a  large  doll  if  she 
would  keep  covered  up. 

"  Shall  I  still  get  it  ?  "  she  asked  in  gasps,  gazing  at  him 
in  dismay. 

"  Yes,  of  course  you'll  get  it,  and  if  you  make  haste  and 
get  well,  you  shall  have  a  carriage  too  with  indiarubber 
tyres." 

Here  Ellen  came  in.  "  Mr.  Brun,"  she  said,  "I've  made 
your  room  all  ready  for  you. ' '  She  laid  a  quieting  hand  upon 
the  child's  anxious  face. 

The  librarian  rose  unwillingly.  "  That's  to  say  Mr. 
Brun  is  to  go  to  bed,"  he  said  half  in  displeasure.  "  Well, 
well,  good  night  then  !  I  rely  upon  your  waking  me  if 
things  become  worse." 

"  How  good  he  is  !  "  said  Ellen,  softly.  "  He's  been 
sitting  here  all  the  time  to  see  that  she  kept  covered  up. 
He's  made  us  afraid  to  move  because  she's  to  be  kept  quiet  ; 
but  he  can't  help  chattering  to  her  himself  whenever  she 
opens  her  eyes." 

Ellen  had  moved  Lasse  Fredrik's  bed  down  into  their 
bedroom  and  put  up  her  own  here  so  as  to  watch  over  the 
child.  "  Now  you  should  go  to  bed,"  she  said  softly  to 
Pelle.  "  You  must  be  tired  to  death  after  your  journey, 
and  you  can't  have  slept  last  night  in  the  train  either." 

He  looked  tired,  but  she  could  not  persuade  him  ;  he 
meant  to  stay  up  there.  "  I  can't  sleep  anyhow  as  things 
are,"  he  whispered,  "  and  to-morrow's  Sunday." 

"  Then  lie  down  on  my  bed  !     It'll  rest  you  a  little." 

He  lay  down  to  please  her,  and  stared  up  at  the  ceiling 
while  he  listened  to  the  child's  short,  rattling  respiration. 
He  could  hear  that  she  was  not  asleep.  She  lay  and  played 
with  the  rattling  sound,  making  the  cellar-man  speak  some- 
times with  a  deep  voice,  sometimes  with  a  high  one.  She 
seemed  quite  familiar  with  this  dangerous  chatter,  which 


DAYBREAK  217 

had  already  cost  her  many  hours  of  illness  and  sounded  so 
painful  to  Pelle's  ear.  She  bore  her  illness  with  the 
wonderful  resignation  that  belonged  to  the  dwellers  in  the 
back  streets.  She  did  not  become  unreasonable  or  exacting, 
but  generally  lay  and  entertained  herself.  It  was  as  though 
she  felt  grateful  for  her  bed ;  she  was  always  in  the  best 
spirits  when  she  was  in  it.  The  sun  out  here  had  made 
her  very  brown,  but  there  must  be  something  in  her  that 
it  had  not  prevailed  against.  It  was  not  so  easy  to  move 
away  from  the  bad  air  of  the  back  streets. 

Whenever  she  had  a  fit  of  coughing,  Pelle  raised  her 
into  a  sitting  posture  and  helped  her  to  get  rid  of  the  phlegm. 
She  was  purple  in  the  face  with  coughing,  and  looked  at 
him  with  eyes  that  were  almost  starting  out  of  her  head 
with  the  violent  exertion.  Then  Ellen  brought  her  the  hot 
milk  and  Ems  salts,  and  she  drank  it  with  a  resigned 
expression  and  lay  down  again. 

"It's  never  been  so  bad  before,"  whispered  Ellen,  "  so 
what  can  be  the  use  ?  Perhaps  the  country  air  isn't  good 
for  her." 

"  It  ought  to  be  though,"  said  Pelle,  "  or  else  she's  a 
poor  little  poisoned  thing." 

Ellen's  voice  rang  with  the  possibility  of  their  moving 
back  again  to  the  town  for  the  sake  of  the  child.  To  her 
the  town  air  was  not  bad,  but  simply  milder  than  out  here. 
Through  several  generations  she  had  become  accustomed 
to  it  and  had  overcome  its  injurious  effects  ;  to  her  it 
seemed  good  as  only  the  air  of  home  can  be.  She  could 
live  anywhere,  but  nothing  must  be  said  against  her  child- 
hood's home.  Then  she  became  eager. 

The  child  had  wakened  with  their  whispering,  and  lay 
and  looked  at  them.  "  I  shan't  die,  shall  I  ?  "  she  asked. 

They  bent  over  her.  "  Now  you  must  cover  yourself 
up  and  not  think  about  such  things,"  said  Ellen,  anxiously. 


218  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

But  the  child  continued  obstinately.  "  If  I  die,  will 
you  be  as  sorry  about  me  as  you  were  about  Johanna  ?  " 
she  asked  anxiously  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon  them. 

Pelle  nodded.     It  was  impossible  for  him  to  speak. 

"  Will  you  paint  the  ceiling  black  to  show  you're  sorry 
about  me  ?  Will  you,  father  ?  "  she  continued  inexorably, 
looking  at  him. 

"  Yes,  yes ! "  said  Ellen,  desperately,  kissing  her  lips 
to  make  her  stop  talking.  The  child  turned  over  con- 
tentedly, and  in  another  moment  she  was  asleep. 

"She's  not  hot  now,"  whispered  Pelle.  "I  think  the 
fever's  gone."  His  face  was  very  grave.  Death  had  passed 
its  cold  hand  over  it ;  he  knew  it  was  only  in  jest,  but  he 
could  not  shake  off  the  impression  it  had  made. 

They  sat  silent,  listening  to  the  child's  breathing, 
which  was  now  quiet.  Ellen  had  put  her  hand  into  Pelle's, 
and  every  now  and  then  she  shuddered.  They  did  not 
move,  but  simply  sat  and  listened,  while  the  time  ran 
singing  on.  Then  the  cock  crew  below,  and  roused  Pelle. 
It  was  three  o'clock,  and  the  child  had  slept  for  two  hours. 
The  lamp  had  almost  burned  dry,  and  he  could  scarcely 
see  Ellen's  profile  in  the  semi-darkness.  She  looked  tired. 

He  rose  noiselessly  and  kissed  her  forehead.  '"  Go 
downstairs  and  go  to  bed,"  he  whispered,  leading  her 
towards  the  door. 

Stealthy  footsteps  were  heard  outside.  It  was  Brun 
who  had  been  down  to  listen  at  the  door.  He  had  not  been 
to  bed  at  all.  The  lamp  was  burning  in  his  sitting-room, 
and  the  table  was  covered  with  papers.  He  had  been 
writing. 

He  became  very  cheerful  when  he  heard  that  the  attack 
was  over.  "  I  think  you  ought  rather  to  treat  us  to  a  cup 
of  coffee,"  he  answered,  when  Ellen  scolded  him  because 
he  was  not  asleep. 


DAYBREAK  219 

Ellen  went  down  and  made  the  coffee,  and  they  drank 
it  in  Bran's  room.  The  doors  were  left  ajar  so  that  they 
could  hear  the  child. 

"It's  been  a  long  night,"  said  Pelle,  passing  his  hand 
across  his  forehead. 

"  Yes,  if  there  are  going  to  be  more  like  it,  we  shall 
certainly  have  to  move  back  into  town,"  said  Ellen, 
obstinately. 

"  It  would  be  a  better  plan  to  begin  giving  her  a  cold 
bath  in  the  morning  as  soon  as  she's  well  again,  and  try 
to  get  her  hardened,"  said  Pelle. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Ellen,  turning  to  Brun,  "  Pelle 
thinks  it's  the  bad  air  and  the  good  air  fighting  for  the 
child,  and  that's  the  only  reason  why  she's  worse  here  than 
in  town." 

"  So  it  is,"  said  Brun,  gravely  ;  "  and  a  sick  child  like 
that  gives  one  something  to  think  about." 


XVIII 

THE  next  day  they  were  up  late.  Ellen  did  not  wake  until 
about  ten,  and  was  quite  horrified  ;  but  when  she  got  up 
she  found  the  fire  on  and  everything  in  order,  for  Lasse 
Fredrik  had  seen  to  it  all.  She  could  start  on  breakfast 
at  once. 

Sister  was  quite  bright  again,  and  Ellen  moved  her 
into  the  sitting-room  and  made  up  a  bed  on  the  sofa,  where 
she  sat  packed  in  with  pillows,  and  had  her  breakfast  with 
the  others. 

"  Are  you  sorry  Sister's  getting  well,  old  man  ?  "  asked 
Boy  Comfort. 

"  My  name  isn't  '  old  man/  It's  '  grandfather  '  or  else 
'  Mr.  Brun,'  "  said  the  librarian,  laughing  and  looking  at 
Ellen,  who  blushed. 

"  Are  you  sorry  Sister's  getting  well,  grandfather  ?  " 
repeated  the  boy  with  a  funny,  pedantic  literalness. 

"  And  why  should  I  be  sorry  for  that,  you  little  stupid  ?  " 

"  Because  you've  got  to  give  money  !  " 

"The  doll,  yes!  That's  true!  You'll  have  to  wait 
till  to-morrow,  Sister,  because  to-day's  Sunday." 

Anna  had  eaten  her  egg  and  turned  the  shell  upside 
down  in  the  egg-cup  so  that  it  looked  like  an  egg  that  had 
not  been  touched.  She  pushed  it  slowly  towards  Brun. 

"  What's  the  matter  now  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  pushing  his 
spectacles  up  on  to  his  forehead.  "  You  haven't  eaten 
your  egg  !  " 

220 


DAYBREAK  221 

"  I  can't,"  she  said,  hanging  her  head. 
"  Why  there  must  be  something  wrong  with  her !  " 
said  the  old  man,  in  amazement.  "  Such  a  big,  fat  egg  too  ! 
Very  well,  then  I  must  eat  it."  And  he  began  to  crack 
the  egg,  Anna  and  Boy  Comfort  following  his  movements 
with  dancing  eyes  and  their  hands  over  their  mouths, 
until  his  spoon  went  through  the  shell  and  he  sprang  up 
to  throw  it  at  their  heads,  when  their  merriment  burst 
forth.  It  was  a  joke  that  never  suffered  by  repetition. 

While  breakfast  was  in  progress,  the  farmer  from  the 
hill  farm  came  in  to  tell  them  that  they  must  be  prepared 
to  move  out,  as  he  meant  to  sell  the  house.  He  was  one 
of  those  farmers  of  common-land,  whom  the  city  had  thrown 
off  their  balance.  He  had  lived  up  there  and  had  seen  one 
farm  after  another  grow  larger  and  make  their  owners  into 
millionaires,  and  was  always  expecting  that  his  turn  would 
come.  He  neglected  the  land,  and  even  the  most  abundant 
harvest  was  ridiculously  small  in  comparison  with  his 
golden  dreams  ;  so  the  fields  were  allowed  to  lie  and  produce 
weeds. 

Ellen  was  just  as  dismayed  as  Pelle  at  the  thought  of 
having  to  leave  "  Daybreak."  It  was  their  home,  their 
nest  too  ;  all  their  happiness  and  welfare  were  really  con- 
nected with  this  spot. 

"  You  can  buy  the  house  of  course,"  said  the  farmer. 
"  I've  had  an  offer  of  fifteen  thousand  (£850)  for  it,  and 
I'll  let  it  go  for  that." 

After  he  had  gone  they  sat  and  discussed  the  matter. 
"  It's  very  cheap,"  said  Bmn.  "  In  a  year  or  two  you'll 
have  the  town  spreading  in  this  direction,  and  then  it'll 
be  worth  at  least  twice  as  much." 

"  Yes,  that  may  be,"  said  Pelle  ;  "  but  you've  both  to 
get  the  amount  and  make  it  yield  interest." 

"  There's  eight  thousand  (£450)  in  the  first  mortgage, 


222  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

and  the  loan  institution  will  lend  half  that.  That'll  make 
twelve  thousand  (£675) .  That  leaves  three  thousand  (£175) , 
and  I'm  not  afraid  of  putting  that  in  as  a  third  mortgage," 
said  Brun. 

Pelle  did  not  like  that.  "  There'll  be  need  for  your 
money  in  the  business,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,  yes  !  But  when  you  put  the  house  into  repair 
and  have  it  re- valued,  I'm  certain  you  can  get  the  whole 
fifteen  thousand  in  the  Loan  Societies,"  said  Brun.  "  I 
think  it'll  be  to  your  advantage  to  do  it." 

Ellen  had  taken  pencil  and  paper,  and  was  making 
calculations.  "  What  percentage  do  you  reckon  for  interest 
and  paying  off  by  instalments  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Five,"  said  the  old  man.  "  You  do  all  the  work  of 
keeping  it  up  yourselves." 

"  Then  I  would  venture,"  she  said,  looking  dauntlessly 
at  them.  "  It  would  be  nice  to  own  the  house  ourselves, 
don't  you  think  so,  Pelle  ?  " 

"  No,  I  think  it's  quite  mad,"  Pelle  answered.  "  We 
shall  be  saddled  with  a  house-rent  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  kroner  (over  £40)." 

Ellen  was  not  afraid  of  the  house-rent ;  the  house  and 
garden  would  bear  that.  "  And  in  a  few  years  we  can  sell 
the  ground  for  building  and  make  a  lot  of  money."  She 
was  red  with  excitement. 

Pelle  laughed.  "  Yes,  speculation  !  Isn't  that  what 
the  hill  farmer  has  gone  to  pieces  over  ?  "  Pelle  had  quite 
enough  on  his  hands  and  had  no  desire  to  have  property 
to  struggle  with. 

But  Ellen  became  only  more  and  more  bent  upon  it. 
"  Then  buy  it  yourself !  "  said  Pelle,  laughing.  "  I've  no 
desire  to  become  a  millionaire." 

Ellen  was  quite  ready  to  do  it.  "  But  then  the  house'll 
be  mine,"  she  declared.  "  And  if  I  make  money  on  it,  I 


DAYBREAK  223 

must  be  allowed  to  spend  it  just  as  I  like.  It's  not  to  go 
into  your  bottomless  common  cash-box ! "  The  men 
laughed. 

"  Brun  and  I  are  going  for  a  walk,"  said  Pelle,  "  so  we'll 
go  in  and  write  a  contract  note  for  you  at  once." 

They  went  down  the  garden  and  followed  the  edge  of 
the  hill  to  the  south.  The  weather  was  clear ;  it  had 
changed  to  slight  frost,  and  white  rime  covered  the  fields. 
Where  the  low  sun's  rays  fell  upon  them,  the  rime  had 
melted  and  the  withered  green  grass  appeared.  "  It's 
really  pretty  here,"  said  Brun.  "  See  how  nice  the  town 
looks  with  its  towers — only  one  shouldn't  live  there.  I  was 
thinking  of  that  last  night  when  the  child  was  lying  there 
with  her  cough.  The  work-people  really  get  no  share  of 
the  sun,  nor  do  those  who  in  other  respects  are  decently 
well  off.  And  then  I  thought  I'd  like  to  build  houses  for 
our  people  on  the  ridge  of  the  hill  on  both  sides  of  '  Day- 
break.' The  people  of  the  new  age  ought  to  live  in  higher 
and  brighter  situations  than  others.  I'll  tell  you  how  I 
thought  of  doing  it.  I  should  in  the  meantime  advance 
money  for  the  plots,  and  the  business  should  gradually 
redeem  them  with  its  surplus.  That  is  quite  as  practical 
as  dividing  the  surplus  among  the  workmen,  and  we  thereby 
create  values  for  the  enterprise.  Talking  of  surplus — 
you've  worked  well,  Pelle  !  I  made  an  estimate  of  it  last 
night  and  found  it's  already  about  ten  thousand  (£555)  this 
year.  But  to  return  to  what  we  were  talking  about — 
mortgage  loans  are  generally  able  to  cover  the  building 
expenses,  and  with  amortisation  the  whole  thing  is  un- 
encumbered after  some  years  have  passed." 

"  Who's  to  own  it  ?  "  asked  Pelle.  He  was  chewing  a 
piece  of  grass  and  putting  his  feet  down  deliberately  like 
a  farmer  walking  on  ploughed  land. 

"  The  co-operative  company.     It's  to  be  so  arranged 


224  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

that  the  houses  can't  be  made  over  to  others,  nor  encumbered 
with  fresh  loan.  Our  co-operative  enterprises  must  avoid 
all  form  of  speculation,  thereby  limiting  the  field  for 
capital.  The  whole  thing  should  be  self-supporting  and 
be  able  to  do  away  with  private  property  within  its 
boundaries.  You  see  it's  your  own  idea  of  a  community 
within  the  community  that  I'm  building  upon.  At  present 
it's  not  easy  to  find  a  juridical  form  under  which  the  whole 
thing  can  work  itself,  but  in  the  meantime  you  and  I  will 
manage  it,  and  Morten  if  he  will  join  us.  I  expect  he'll 
come  home  with  renewed  strength." 

"  And  when  is  this  plan  to  be  realised  ?  Will  it  be  in 
the  near  future  ?  " 

"  This  very  winter,  I  had  thought ;  and  in  this  way 
we  should  also  be  able  to  do  a  little  for  the  great  un- 
employment. Thirty  houses  !  It  would  be  a  beginning 
anyhow.  And  behind  it  lies  the  whole  world,  Pelle  !  " 

"  Shall  you  make  the  occupation  of  the  houses  obligatory 
for  our  workmen  ?  " 

"  Yes,  co-operation  makes  it  an  obligation.  You  can't 
be  half  outside  and  half  inside  !  Well,  what  do  you  think 
of  it !  " 

"  It's  a  strong  plan,"  said  Pelle.  "  We  shall  build  our 
own  town  here  on  the  hill." 

The  old  man's  face  shone  with  delight.  "  There's 
something  in  me  after  all,  eh  ?  There's  old  business-blood 
in  my  veins  too.  My  forefathers  built  a  world  for  them- 
selves, and  why  should  I  do  less  than  they  ?  I  ought  to 
have  been  younger,  Pelle  !  " 

They  walked  round  the  hill  and  came  to  the  farm  from 
the  other  side.  "  The  whole  piece  wouldn't  really  be  too 
large  if  we're  to  have  room  to  extend  ourselves,"  said  Pelle, 
who  was  not  afraid  of  a  large  outlay  when  it  was  a  question 
of  a  great  plan. 


DAYBREAK  225 

"  I  was  thinking  the  same  thing,"  answered  Brun. 
"  How  much  is  there  here  ?  A  couple  of  hundred  acres  ? 
There'll  be  room  for  a  thousand  families  if  each  of  them  is 
to  have  a  fair-sized  piece  of  land." 

They  then  went  in  and  took  the  whole  for  a  quarter  of 
a  million  (£14,000). 

"  But  Ellen !  "  exclaimed  Pelle,  when  they  were  on 
their  way  home  again.  "  How  are  we  going  to  come  to 
terms  with  her  ?  " 

"  Bless  my  soul !  Why  it  was  her  business  we  went 
upon !  And  now  we've  done  business  for  ourselves ! 
Well,  I  suppose  she'll  give  in  when  she  hears  what's  been 
done." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Pelle,  laughing.  "  Per- 
haps when  you  tackle  her." 

"  Well,  did  you  get  the  house  ?  "  asked  Ellen,  from  the 
house  door,  where  she  was  standing  to  receive  them. 

"Yes,  we  got  much  more,"  said  Brun,  airily.  "  We 
bought  the  whole  concern." 

"  Is  that  a  fact,  Pelle  ?  " 

Pelle  nodded. 

"  What  about  my  house  then  ?  "  she  asked  slowly. 

"  Well,  we  bought  that  together  with  all  the  rest,"  said 
Brun.  "  But  as  far  as  that  goes  it  can  easily  be  separated 
from  the  rest,  only  it's  rather  soon  to  break  up  the  co- 
operation before  it's  started."  He  waited  a  little,  ex- 
pecting that  Ellen  would  say  something,  and  when  she 
continued  silent  he  went  on,  rather  shortly  :  "  Well,  then 
there's  nothing  more  to  be  said  about  that  ?  Fair  play's  a 
jewel,  and  to-morrow  I'll  make  arrangements  for  the  con- 
veyance of  the  house  to  you  for  the  fifteen  thousand  (£850). 
And  then  we  must  give  up  the  whole  concern,  Pelle.  It 
won't  do  for  the  man  at  the  head  of  it  to  live  on  his  private 
property  ;  so  that  plan's  come  to  nothing  !  " 

VOL.  IV.  Q 


226  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Unless  Ellen  and  I  live  in  separate  houses,"  said  Pelle, 
slyly.  "  I  might  build  just  the  other  side  of  the  boundary, 
and  then  we  could  nod  to  one  another  at  any  rate." 

Ellen  looked  at  him  gravely.  "  I  only  think  it's  rather 
strange  that  you  settle  my  affairs  without  asking  me  first," 
she  said  at  length. 

"  Yes,  it  was  inconsiderate  of  us,"  answered  Bran, 
"  and  we  hope  you'll  forget  all  about  it.  You'll  give  up 
the  house  then  ?  " 

"  I'm  pretty  well  obliged  to  when  Pelle  threatens  to 
move  out,"  Ellen  answered  with  a  smile.  "  But  I'm  sorry 
about  it.  I'm  certain  that  in  a  short  time  there'd  have  been 
money  to  make  over  it." 

"  It'll  be  nice,  won't  it,  if  the  women  are  going  to  move 
into  our  forsaken  snail-shells  ?  "  said  Brun,  half  seriously. 

"  Ellen's  always  been  an  incorrigible  capitalist,"  Pelle 
put  in. 

"  It's  only  that  I've  never  had  so  much  money  that  I 
shouldn't  know  what  it  was  worth,"  answered  Ellen,  with 
ready  wit. 

Old  Brun  laughed.  "  That  was  one  for  Mr.  Brun  !  " 
he  said.  "  But  since  you've  such  a  desire  for  land-specula- 
tion, Mistress  Ellen,  I've  got  a  suggestion  to  make.  On 
the  ground  we've  bought  there's  a  piece  of  meadow  that  lies 
halfway  in  to  town,  by  the  bog.  We'll  give  you  that.  It's 
not  worth  anything  at  present,  and  will  have  to  be  filled  in 
to  be  of  any  value  ;  but  it  won't  be  very  long  before  the 
town  is  out  there  wanting  more  room." 

Ellen  had  no  objection  to  that.  "  But  then,"  she  said, 
"  I  must  be  allowed  to  do  what  I  like  with  what  comes 
out  of  it." 


XIX 

THE  sun  held  out  well  that  year.  Remnants  of  summer 
continued  to  hang  in  the  air  right  into  December.  Every  time 
they  had  bad  weather  Ellen  said,  "  Now  it'll  be  winter,  I'm 
sure  !  "  But  the  sun  put  it  aside  once  more  ;  it  went  far 
down  in  the  south  and  looked  straight  into  the  whole 
sitting-room,  as  if  it  were  going  to  count  the  pictures. 

The  large  yellow  Gloire  de  Dijon  went  on  flowering,  and 
every  day  Ellen  brought  in  a  large,  heavy  bunch  of  roses 
and  red  leaves.  She  was  heavy  herself,  and  the  fresh  cold 
nipped  her  nose — which  was  growing  sharper — and  reddened 
her  cheeks.  One  day  she  brought  a  large  bunch  to  Pelle, 
and  asked  him  :  "  How  much  money  am  I  going  to  get  to 
keep  Christmas  with  ?  " 

It  was  true  !    The  year  was  almost  ended  ! 

After  the  new  year  winter  began  in  earnest.  It  began 
with  much  snow  and  frost,  and  made  it  a  difficult  matter 
to  keep  in  communication  with  the  outside  world,  while 
indoors  people  drew  all  the  closer  to  one  another.  Anna 
should  really  have  been  going  to  school  now,  but  she 
suffered  a  good  deal  from  the  cold  and  was  altogether  not 
very  strong,  so  Pelle  and  Ellen  dared  not  expose  her  to 
the  long  wading  through  the  snow,  and  taught  her  them- 
selves. 

Ellen  had  become  a  little  lazy  about  walking,  and  seldom 
went  into  town  ;  the  two  men  made  the  purchases  for  her 
in  the  evening  on  their  way  home.  It  was  a  dull  time,  and 
227 


228  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

no  work  was  done  by  artificial  light,  so  they  were  home 
early.  Ellen  had  changed  the  dinner-hour  to  five,  so  that 
they  could  all  have  it  together.  After  dinner  Brun  gene- 
rally went  upstairs  to  work  for  another  couple  of  hours. 
He  was  busy  working  out  projects  for  the  building  on  the 
Hill  Farm  land,  and  gave  himself  no  rest.  Pelle's  wealth 
of  ideas  and  energy  infected  him,  and  his  plans  grew  and 
assumed  ever-increasing  dimensions.  He  gave  no  con- 
sideration to  his  weak  frame,  but  rose  early  and  worked 
all  day  at  the  affairs  of  the  co-operative  works.  He  seemed 
to  be  vying  with  Pelle's  youth,  and  to  be  in  constant  fear 
that  something  would  come  up  behind  him  and  interrupt 
his  work. 

The  other  members  of  the  family  gathered  round  the 
lamp,  each  with  some  occupation.  Boy  Comfort  had  his 
toy-table  put  up  and  was  hammering  indefatigably  with  his 
little  wooden  mallet  upon  a  piece  of  stuff  that  Ellen  had 
put  between  to  prevent  his  marking  the  table.  He  was 
a  sturdy  little  fellow,  and  the  fat  lay  in  creases  round  his 
wrists.  The  wrinkles  on  his  forehead  gave  him  a  funny 
look  when  one  did  not  recall  the  fact  that  he  had  cost  his 
mother  her  life.  He  looked  as  if  he  knew  it  himself,  he 
was  so  serious.  He  had  leave  to  sit  up  for  a  little  while 
with  the  others,  but  he  went  to  bed  at  six. 

Lasse  Fredrik  generally  drew  when  he  was  finished  with 
his  lessons.  He  had  a  turn  for  it,  and  Pelle,  wondering,  saw 
his  own  gift,  out  of  which  nothing  had  ever  come  but  the 
prison,  repeated  in  the  boy  in  an  improved  form.  He 
showed  him  the  way  to  proceed,  and  held  the  pencil  once 
more  in  his  own  hand.  His  chief  occupation,  however,  was 
teaching  little  Anna,  and  telling  her  anything  that  might 
occur  to  him.  She  was  especially  fond  of  hearing  about 
animals,  and  Pelle  had  plenty  of  reminiscences  of  his  herding - 
time  from  which  to  draw. 


DAYBREAK  229 

"  Have  animals  really  intelligence  ?  "  asked  Ellen,  in 
surprise.  "  You  really  believe  that  they  think  about  things 
just  as  we  do  ?  " 

It  was  nothing  new  to  Sister  ;  she  talked  every  day  to 
the  fowls  and  the  rabbits,  and  knew  how  wise  they  were. 

"  I  wonder  if  flowers  can  think  too,"  said  Lasse  Fredrik. 
He  was  busy  drawing  a  flower  from  memory,  and  it  would 
look  like  a  face  :  hence  the  remark. 

Pelle  thought  they  could. 

"  No,  no,  Pelle  !  "  said  Ellen.  "  You're  going  too  far 
now  !  It's  only  us  people  who  can  think." 

"  They  can  feel  at  any  rate,  and  that's  thinking  in  a 
way,  I  suppose,  only  with  the  heart.  They  notice  at  once 
if  you're  fond  of  them  ;  if  you  aren't  they  don't  thrive." 

"  Yes,  I  do  believe  that,  for  if  you're  fond  of  them  you 
take  good  care  of  them,"  said  the  incorrigible  Ellen. 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Pelle,  looking  at  her 
teasingly.  "  You're  very  fond  of  your  balsam,  but  a 
gardener  would  be  sure  to  tell  you  that  you  treat  it  like 
a  cabbage.  And  look  how  industriously  it  flowers  all  the 
same.  They  answer  kind  thoughts  with  gratitude,  and 
that's  a  nice  way  of  thinking.  Intelligence  isn't  perhaps 
worth  as  much  as  we  human  beings  imagine  it  to  be.  You 
yourself  think  with  your  heart,  little  mother."  It  was  his 
pet  name  for  her  just  now. 

After  a  little  interlude  such  as  this,  they  went  on  with 
their  work.  Pelle  had  to  tell  Sister  all  about  the  animals 
in  her  alphabet-book — about  the  useful  cow  and  the  hare 
that  licked  the  dew  off  the  clover  and  leaped  up  under  the 
very  nose  of  the  cowherd.  In  the  winter  it  went  into  the 
garden,  gnawed  the  bark  off  the  young  trees  and  ate 
the  farmer's  wife's  cabbage.  "  Yes,  I  must  acknowledge 
that,"  Ellen  interposed,  and  then  they  all  laughed,  for  puss 
had  just  eaten  her  kail. 


230  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Then  the  child  suddenly  left  the  subject,  and  wanted  to 
know  whether  there  had  always,  always  been  a  Copenhagen. 
Pelle  came  to  a  standstill  for  a  moment,  but  by  a  happy 
inspiration  dug  Bishop  Absalom  out  of  his  memory.  He 
took  the  opportunity  of  telling  them  that  the  capital  had  a 
population  of  half  a  million. 

"  Have  you  counted  them,  father  ?  "  exclaimed  Sister, 
in  perplexity,  taking  hold  of  his  sleeve. 

"  Why,  of  course  father  hasn't,  you  little  donkey  !  " 
said  Lasse  Fredrik.  "  One  might  be  born  while  he  was 
counting  !  " 

Then  they  were  at  the  cock  again,  which  both  began  and 
ended  the  book.  He  stood  and  crowed  so  proudly  and  never 
slept.  He  was  a  regular  prig,  but  when  Sister  was  diligent 
he  put  a  one-ore  piece  among  the  leaves.  But  the  hens 
laid  eggs,  and  it  was  evident  that  they  were  the  same  as  the 
flowers  ;  for  when  you  were  kind  to  them  and  treated  them 
as  if  they  belonged  to  the  family,  they  were  industrious  in 
laying,  but  if  you  built  a  model  house  for  them  and  treated 
them  according  to  all  established  rules,  they  did  not  even 
earn  as  much  as  would  pay  for  their  food.  At  Uncle  Kalle's 
there  was  a  hen  that  came  into  the  room  among  all  the 
children  and  laid  its  egg  under  the  bed  every  single  day  all 
through  the  winter,  when  no  other  hens  were  laying.  Then 
the  farmer  of  Stone  Farm  bought  it  to  make  something 
by  it.  He  gave  twenty  kroner  (a  guinea)  for  it  and  thought 
he  had  got  a  gold  mine  ;  but  no  sooner  did  it  come  to  Stone 
Farm  than  it  left  off  laying  winter  eggs,  for  there  it  was  not 
one  of  the  family,  but  was  only  a  hen  that  they  wanted  to 
make  money  out  of. 

"  Mother's  balsam  flowers  all  the  winter,"  said  Sister, 
looking  fondly  at  the  plant. 

"  Yes,  that's  because  it  sees  how  industrious  we  all  are," 
said  Lasse  Fredrik,  mischievously. 


DAYBREAK  231 

"  Will  you  be  quiet !  "  said  Pelle,  hitting  out  at  him. 

Ellen  sat  knitting  some  tiny  socks.  Her  glance  moved 
lingeringly  from  one  to  another  of  them,  and  she  smiled 
indulgently  at  their  chatter.  They  were  just  a  lot  of 
children  ! 

"  Mother,  may  I  have  those  for  my  doll  ?  "  asked  Anna, 
taking  up  the  finished  sock. 

"  No,  little  sister's  to  have  them  when  she  comes." 

"  If  it  is  a  girl,"  put  in  Lasse  Fredrik. 

"  When's  little  sister  coming  ?  " 

"  In  the  spring  when  the  stork  comes  back  to  the  farm  ; 
he'll  bring  her  with  him." 

"  Pooh  !  The  stork  !  "  said  Lasse  Fredrik,  contemp- 
tuously. "  What  a  pack  of  nonsense  !  " 

Sister  too  was  wiser  than  that.  When  the  weather  was 
fine  she  fetched  milk  from  the  farm,  and  had  learnt  a  few 
things  there. 

"  Now  you  must  go  to  bed,  my  child,"  said  Ellen, 
rising.  "  I  can  see  you're  tired."  When  she  had  helped 
the  child  into  bed  she  came  back  and  sat  down  again  with 
her  knitting. 

"  Now  I  think  you  should  leave  off  work  for  to-day," 
said  Pelle. 

"  Then  I  shouldn't  be  ready  in  time,"  answered  Ellen, 
moving  her  knitting-needles  more  swiftly. 

"  Send  it  to  a  machine-knitter.  You  don't  even  earn 
your  bread  anyhow  with  that  handicraft ;  and  there  must 
be  a  time  for  work  and  a  time  for  rest,  or  else  you'd  not  be 
a  human  being." 

"  Mother  can  make  three  ore  (nearly  a  halfpenny)  an 
hour  by  knitting,"  said  Lasse  Fredrik,  who  had  made  a 
careful  calculation. 

What  did  it  matter  ?  Ellen  did  not  think  she  neglected 
anything  else  in  doing  it. 


232  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  It  is  stupid  though !  "  exclaimed  Lasse  Fredrik, 
suddenly.  "  Why  doesn't  wool  grow  on  one's  legs  ?  Then 
you'd  have  none  of  the  bother  of  shearing  the  wool  off 
sheep,  carding  it,  spinning  it,  and  knitting  stockings." 

"  Oh,  what  nonsense  you're  talking !  "  said  Ellen, 
laughing. 

"  Well,  men  were  hairy  once,"  Lasse  Fredrik  continued. 
"  It  was  a  great  pity  that  they  didn't  go  on  being  it !  " 

Pelle  did  not  think  it  such  a  pity,  for  it  meant  that 
they  had  taken  over  the  care  of  themselves.  Animals 
were  born  fully  equipped.  Even  water-haters  like  cats 
and  hens  were  born  with  the  power  of  swimming ;  but 
men  had  to  acquire  whatever  they  had  a  use  for.  Nature 
did  not  equip  them,  because  they  had  become  responsible 
for  themselves  ;  they  were  the  lords  of  creation. 

"  But  then  the  poor  ought  to  be  hairy  all  over  their 
bodies,"  Ellen  objected.  "Why  doesn't  Nature  take  as 
much  care  of  the  poor  as  of  the  animals  ?  They  can't  do 
it  themselves." 

"  Yes,  but  that's  just  what  they  can  do  !  "  said  Pelle, 
"for  it's  they  who  produce  most  things.  Perhaps  you 
think  it's  money  that  cultivates  the  land,  or  weaves  materials, 
or  drags  coal  out  of  the  earth  ?  It  had  to  leave  that  alone  ; 
all  the  capital  in  the  world  can't  so  much  as  pick  up  a  pin 
from  the  ground  if  there  are  no  hands  that  it  can  pay  to 
do  it.  If  the  poor  were  born  hairy,  it  would  simply  stamp 
him  as  an  inferior  being.  Isn't  it  a  wonder  that  Nature 
obstinately  lets  the  poor  men's  children  be  born  just  as 
naked  as  the  king's,  in  spite  of  all  that  we've  gone  through 
of  want  and  hardship  ?  If  you  exchange  the  prince's  and 
the  beggar's  new-born  babies,  no  one  can  say  which  is 
which.  It's  as  if  Providence  was  never  tired  of  holding  our 
stamp  of  nobility  up  before  us." 

"  Do  you  really  think  then  that  the  world  can  be 


DAYBREAK  233 

transformed  ?  "  said  Ellen,  looking  affectionately  at  him. 
It  seemed  so  wonderful  that  this  Pelle,  whom  she  could  take 
in  her  arms,  occupied  himself  with  such  great  matters. 
And  Pelle  looked  back  at  her  affectionately  and  wonder- 
ingly.  She  was  the  same  to-day  as  on  the  day  he  first  got 
to  know  her,  perhaps  as  the  day  the  world  was  created ! 
She  put  nothing  out  on  usury,  but  had  been  born  with  all 
she  had.  The  world  could  indeed  be  transformed,  but  she 
would  always  remain  as  she  was. 

The  post  brought  a  letter  from  Morten.  He  was  staying 
at  present  in  Sicily,  and  thought  of  travelling  along  the 
north  coast  of  Africa  to  the  south  of  Spain.  "  And  I  may 
make  an  excursion  in  to  the  borders  of  the  Desert,  and  try 
what  riding  on  a  camel  is  like,"  he  wrote.  He  was  well  and 
in  good  spirits.  It  was  strange  to  think  that  he  was  writing 
with  open  doors,  while  here  they  were  struggling  with  the 
cold.  He  drank  wine  at  every  meal  just  as  you  drank  pale 
ale  here  at  home  ;  and  he  wrote  that  the  olive  and  orange 
harvests  were  just  over. 

"  It  must  be  lovely  to  be  in  such  a  place  just  for  once  !  " 
said  Ellen,  with  a  sigh. 

"  When  the  new  conditions  gain  a  footing,  it'll  no  longer 
be  among  unattainable  things  for  the  working-man,"  Pelle 
answered. 

Brun  now  came  down,  having  at  last  finished  his  work. 
"  Ah,  it's  good  to  be  at  home  !  "  he  said,  shaking  himself  ; 
"  it's  a  stormy  night." 

"  Here's  a  letter  from  Morten,"  said  Pelle,  handing  it  to 
him. 

The  old  man  put  on  his  spectacles. 


XX 

As  soon  as  it  was  possible  to  get  at  the  ground,  the  work 
of  excavating  for  the  foundations  of  the  new  workmen's 
houses  was  begun  with  full  vigour.  Brun  took  a  great 
interest  in  the  work,  and  watched  it  out  in  the  cold  from 
morning  till  evening.  He  wore  an  extra  great-coat,  and 
woollen  gloves  outside  his  fur-lined  ones.  Ellen  had  knitted 
him  a  large  scarf,  which  he  was  to  wrap  round  his  mouth. 
She  kept  an  eye  on  him  from  the  windows,  and  had  to  fetch 
him  in  every  now  and  then  to  thaw  him.  It  was  quite 
impossible,  however,  to  keep  him  in  ;  he  was  far  too  eager 
for  the  work  to  progress.  When  the  frost  stopped  it,  he 
still  wandered  about  out  there,  fidgety  and  in  low  spirits. 

On  weekdays  Pelle  was  never  at  home  in  daylight,  but 
on  Sunday  he  had  to  go  out  with  him  and  see  what  had  been 
done,  as  soon  as  day  dawned.  The  old  man  came  and 
knocked  at  Pelle's  door.  "  Well,  Pelle  !  "  he  said.  "  Will 
you  soon  be  out  of  bed  ?  " 

"  He  must  really  be  allowed  to  lie  there  while  he  has 
his  coffee  !  "  cried  Ellen  from  the  kitchen. 

Brun  ran  once  round  the  house  to  pass  the  time.  He 
was  not  happy  until  he  had  shown  it  all  to  Pelle  and  got 
him  to  approve  of  the  alterations.  This  was  where  he  had 
thought  the  road  should  go.  And  there,  where  the  roads 
crossed,  a  little  park  with  statuary  would  look  nice.  New 
ideas  were  always  springing  up.  The  librarian's  imagina- 
tion conjured  up  a  whole  town  from  the  bare  fields,  with  free 
234 


DAYBREAK  235 

schools  and  theatres  and  comfortable  dwellings  for  the  aged. 
"  We  must  have  a  supply  association  and  a  school  at  once," 
he  said ;  "  and  by  degrees,  as  our  numbers  increase,  we 
shall  get  all  the  rest.  A  poor-house  and  a  prison  are  the 
only  things  I  don't  think  we  shall  have  any  use  for." 

They  would  spend  the  whole  morning  out  there,  walking 
about  and  laying  plans.  Ellen  had  to  fetch  them  in  when 
dinner-time  came.  She  generally  found  them  standing 
over  some  hole  in  earnest  conversation — just  an  ordinary, 
square  hole  in  the  earth,  with  mud  or  ice  at  the  bottom. 
Such  holes  were  always  dug  for  houses  ;  but  these  two 
talked  about  them  as  if  they  were  the  beginning  of  an  en- 
tirely new  earth ! 

Brun  missed  Pelle  during  the  day,  and  watched  for  him 
quite  as  eagerly  as  Ellen  when  the  time  came  for  him  to 
return  from  work.  "  I  shall  soon  be  quite  jealous  of  him," 
said  Ellen  as  she  drew  Pelle  into  the  kitchen  to  give  him  her 
evening  greeting  in  private.  "If  he  could  he'd  take  you 
quite  away  from  me." 

When  Pelle  had  been  giving  a  lecture,  he  generally  came 
home  after  Brun  had  gone  to  rest,  and  in  the  morning  when 
he  left  home  the  old  man  was  not  up.  Brun  never  went 
to  town.  He  laid  the  blame  on  the  weather,  but  in  reality 
he  did  not  know  what  he  would  do  with  himself  in  there. 
But  if  a  couple  of  days  passed  without  his  seeing  Pelle,  he 
became  restless,  lost  interest  in  the  excavating,  and 
wandered  about  feebly  without  doing  anything.  Then  he 
would  suddenly  put  on  his  boots,  excuse  himself  with  some 
pressing  errand,  and  set  off  over  the  fields  towards  the 
tram,  while  Ellen  stood  at  the  window  watching  him  with 
a  tender  smile.  She  knew  what  was  drawing  him  ! 

One  would  have  thought  there  were  ties  of  blood  between 
these  two,  so  dependent  were  they  on  one  another.  "  How's 
the  old  man  ?  "  was  Pelle's  first  question  on  entering  ;  and 


236  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Brim  could  not  have  followed  Pelle's  movements  with 
tenderer  admiration  in  his  old  days  if  he  had  been  his 
father.  While  Pelle  was  away  the  old  man  went  about  as 
if  he  were  always  looking  for  something. 

Ellen  did  not  like  his  being  out  among  the  navvies  in 
all  kinds  of  weather.  In  the  evening  the  warmth  of  the 
room  affected  his  lungs  and  made  him  cough  badly. 

"  It'll  end  in  a  regular  cold,"  she  said.  She  wanted 
him  to  stay  in  bed  for  a  few  days  and  try  to  get  rid  of  the 
cold  before  it  took  a  firm  hold. 

It  was  a  constant  subject  of  argument  between  them, 
but  Ellen  did  not  give  in  until  she  got  her  way.  When 
once  he  had  made  this  concession  to  the  cold,  it  came  on 
in  earnest.  The  warmth  of  bed  thawed  the  cold  out  of  his 
body  and  made  both  eyes  and  nose  run. 

"  It's  a  good  thing  we  got  you  to  bed  in  time,"  said  Ellen. 
"  And  now  you  won't  be  allowed  up  until  the  worst  cold 
weather  is  over,  even  if  I  have  to  hide  your  clothes."  She 
tended  him  like  a  child  and  made  "  camel  tea  "  for  him 
from  flowers  that  she  had  gathered  and  dried  in  the 
summer. 

When  once  he  had  gone  to  bed  he  quite  liked  it  and 
took  delight  in  being  waited  on,  discovering  a  need  of  all 
kinds  of  things,  so  as  to  receive  them  from  Ellen's  hands. 

"  Now  you're  making  yourself  out  worse  than  you  are  !  " 
she  said,  laughing  at  him. 

Brun  laughed  too.  "  You  see,  I've  never  been  petted 
before,"  he  said.  "  From  the  time  I  was  born,  my  parents 
hired  people  to  look  after  me  ;  that's  why  I'm  so  shrivelled 
up.  I've  had  to  buy  everything.  Well,  there's  a  certain 
amount  of  justice  in  the  fact  that  money  kills  affection, 
or  else  you'd  both  eat  your  cake  and  have  it." 

"  Yes,  it's  a  good  thing  the  best  can't  be  had  for  money," 
said  Ellen,  tucking  the  clothes  about  his  feet.  He  was 


DAYBREAK  237 

propped  up  with  pillows,  so  that  he  could  lie  there  and  work. 
He  had  a  map  of  the  Hill  Farm  land  beside  him,  and  was 
making  plans  for  a  systematic  laying  out  of  the  ground  for 
building.  He  wrote  down  his  ideas  about  it  in  a  book  that 
was  to  be  appended  to  the  plans.  He  worked  from  sunrise 
until  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  during  that  time  it  was 
all  that  Ellen  could  do  to  keep  the  children  away  from 
him ;  Boy  Comfort  was  on  his  way  up  to  the  old  man 
every  few  minutes. 

In  the  afternoon,  when  she  had  finished  in  the  kitchen, 
she  took  the  children  up  for  an  hour.  They  were  given 
a  picture-book  and  were  placed  at  Brun's  large  writing- 
table,  while  Ellen  seated  herself  by  the  window  with  her 
knitting  and  talked  to  the  old  man.  From  her  seat  she 
could  follow  the  work  out  on  the  field,  and  had  to  give  him 
a  full  description  of  how  far  they  had  got  with  each  plot. 

There  were  always  several  hundred  men  out  there  stand- 
ing watching  the  work — a  shivering  crowd  that  never 
diminished.  They  were  unemployed  who  had  heard  that 
something  was  going  on  out  here,  and  long  before  the  dawn 
of  day  they  were  standing  there  in  the  hope  of  coming 
in  for  something.  All  day  they  streamed  in  and  out,  an 
endless  chain  of  sad  men.  They  resembled  prisoners  con- 
demned hopelessly  to  tread  a  huge  wheel;  there  was  a 
broad  track  across  the  fields  where  they  went. 

Brun  was  troubled  by  the  thought  of  these  thousands 
of  men  who  came  all  this  way  to  look  for  a  day's  work  and 
had  to  go  back  with  a  refusal.  "  We  can't  take  more  men 
on  than  there  are  already,"  he  said  to  Pelle,  "  or  they'll 
only  get  in  one  another's  way.  But  perhaps  we  could 
begin  to  carry  out  some  of  our  plans  for  the  future.  Can't 
we  begin  to  make  roads  and  such  like,  so  that  these  men 
can  get  something  to  do  ?  " 

No,  Pelle  dared  not  agree  to  that. 


238  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"In  the  spring  we  shall  want  capital  to  start  the 
tanners  with  a  co-operative  tannery,"  he  said.  "  It'll  be 
agreed  on  in  their  Union  at  an  early  date,  on  the  pre- 
supposition that  we  contribute  money  ;  and  I  consider  it 
very  important  to  get  it  started.  Our  opponents  find  fault 
with  us  for  getting  our  materials  from  abroad.  It's 
untenable  in  the  long  run,  and  must  come  to  an  end  now. 
As  it  is,  the  factory's  hanging  in  the  air  ;  they  can  cut  us 
off  from  the  supply  of  materials,  and  then  we're  done.  But 
if  we  only  have  our  own  tannery,  the  one  business  can  be 
carried  out  thoroughly  and  can't  be  smashed  up,  and  then 
we're  ready  to  meet  a  lock-out  in  the  trade." 

"  The  hides  !  "  interpolated  Bran. 

"  There  we  come  to  agriculture.  That's  already 
arranged  co-operatively,  and  will  certainly  not  be  used 
against  us.  We  must  anyhow  join  in  there  as  soon  as  ever 
we  get  started — buy  cattle  and  kill,  ourselves,  so  that  besides 
the  hides  we  provide  ourselves  with  good,  cheap  meat." 

"  Yes,  yes,  but  the  tannery  won't  swallow  everything  ! 
We  can  afford  to  do  some  road-making." 

"  No,  we  can't !  "  Pelle  declared  decisively.  "  Re- 
member we've  also  got  to  think  of  the  supply  associations, 
or  else  all  our  work  is  useless  ;  the  one  thing  leads  to  the 
other.  There's  too  much  depending  on  what  we're  doing, 
and  we  mustn't  hamper  our  undertaking  with  dead  values 
that  will  drag  it  down.  First  the  men  and  then  the  roads  ! 
The  unemployed  to-day  must  take  care  of  themselves  with- 
out our  help." 

"  You're  a  little  hard,  I  think,"  said  Brun,  somewhat 
hurt  at  Pelle's  firmness,  and  drumming  on  the  quilt  with 
his  fingers. 

"  It's  not  the  first  time  that  I've  been  blamed  for  it  in 
this  connection,"  answered  Pelle,  gravely ;  "  but  I  must 
put  up  with  it." 


DAYBREAK  239 

The  old  man  held  out  his  hand.  "  I  beg  your  pardon  ! 
It  wasn't  my  intention  to  find  fault  with  you  because  you 
don't  act  thoughtlessly.  Of  course  we  mustn't  give  up 
the  victory  out  of  sympathy  with  those  who  fight.  It  was 
only  a  momentary  weakness,  but  a  weakness  that  might 
spoil  everything — that  I  must  admit !  But  it's  not  so 
easy  to  be  a  passive  spectator  of  these  topsy-turvy  con- 
ditions. It's  affirmed  that  the  workmen  prefer  to  receive  a 
starvation  allowance  to  doing  any  work ;  and  judging  by 
what  they've  hitherto  got  out  of  their  work  it's  easy  to 
understand  that  it's  true.  But  during  the  month  that  the 
excavations  here  have  been  going  on,  at  least  a  thousand 
unemployed  have  come  every  day  ready  to  turn  to ;  and 
we  pay  them  for  refraining  from  doing  anything !  They 
can  at  a  pinch  receive  support,  but  at  no  price  obtain  work. 
It's  as  insane  as  it's  possible  to  be !  You  feel  you'd  like 
to  give  the  machinery  a  little  push  and  set  it  going  again." 

"  It  wants  a  good  big  push,"  said  Pelle.  "  They're  not 
trifles  that  are  in  the  way." 

"  They  look  absurdly  small,  at  any  rate.  The  workmen 
are  not  in  want  because  they're  out  of  work,  as  our  social 
economists  want  us  to  believe  ;  but  they're  out  of  work 
because  they're  in  want.  What  a  putting  of  the  cart 
before  the  horse  !  The  procession  of  the  unemployed  is 
a  disgrace  to  the  community  ;  what  a  waste — also  from  a 
purely  mercantile  point  of  view — while  the  country  and 
the  nation  are  neglected !  If  a  private  business  were  con- 
ducted on  such  principles,  it  would  be  doomed  from  the 
very  first." 

"  If  the  pitiable  condition  arose  only  from  a  wrong  grasp 
of  things,  it  would  be  easily  corrected,"  said  Pelle ;  "  but 
the  people  who  settle  the  whole  thing  can't  at  any  rate  be 
charged  with  a  lack  of  mercantile  perception.  It  would 
be  a  good  thing  if  they  had  the  rest  in  as  good  order ! 


240  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Believe  me,  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  unless  it  is 
to  the  advantage  of  the  money-power  ;  if  it  paid,  in  a 
mercantile  sense,  to  have  country  and  people  in  perfect 
order,  it  would  take  good  care  that  they  were  so.  But  it 
simply  can't  be  done  ;  the  welfare  of  the  many  and  the 
accumulation  of  property  by  the  few  are  irreconcilable 
contradictions.  I  think  there  is  a  wonderful  balance  in 
humanity,  so  that  at  any  time  it  can  produce  exactly 
enough  to  satisfy  all  its  requirements  ;  and  when  one  claims 
too  much,  others  let  go.  It's  on  that  understanding  indeed 
that  we  want  to  remove  the  others  and  take  over  the 
management." 

"  Yes,  yes !  I  didn't  mean  that  I  wanted  to  protect 
the  existing  state  of  affairs.  Let  those  who  make  the 
venture  take  the  responsibility.  But  I've  been  wondering 
whether  we  couldn't  find  a  way  to  gather  up  all  this  waste 
so  that  it  should  benefit  the  co-operative  works  ?  " 

"  How  could  we  ?  We  can't  afford  to  give  occupation 
to  the  unemployed." 

"  Not  for  wages !  But  both  the  Movement  and  the 
community  have  begun  to  support  them,  and  what  would 
be  more  natural  than  that  one  required  work  of  them  in 
return  ?  Only,  remember,  letting  it  benefit  them  !  " 

"  You  mean  that,  for  instance,  unemployed  bricklayers 
and  carpenters  should  build  houses  for  the  workmen  ?  " 
asked  Pelle,  with  animation. 

"  Yes,  as  an  instance.  But  the  houses  should  be 
ensured  against  private  speculation,  in  the  same  way  as 
those  we're  building,  and  always  belong  to  the  workmen. 
As  we  can't  be  suspected  of  trying  to  make  profits,  we  should 
be  suitable  people  for  its  management,  and  it  would  help 
on  the  co-operative  company.  In  that  way  the  refuse  of 
former  times  would  fertilise  the  new  seed." 

Pelle  sat  lost  in  thought,  and  the  old  man  lay  and  looked 


DAYBREAK  241 

at  him  in  suspense.     "  Well,  are  you  asleep  ?  "  he  asked  at 
last,  impatiently. 

"  It's  a  fine  idea,"  said  Pelle,  raising  his  head.  "  I 
think  we  should  get  the  organisations  on  our  side  ;  they're 
already  beginning  to  be  interested  in  co-operation.  When 
the  committee  sits,  I'll  lay  your  plan  before  them.  I'm 
not  so  sure  of  the  community,  however,  Brun  !  They  have 
occasional  use  for  the  great  hunger-reserve,  so  they'll  go 
on  just  keeping  life  in  it ;  if  they  hadn't,  it  would  soon  be 
allowed  to  die  of  hunger.  I  don't  think  they'll  agree  to 
have  it  employed,  so  to  speak,  against  themselves." 

"  You're  an  incorrigible  pessimist  I  "  said  Brun,  a  little 
irritably. 

"  Yes,  as  regards  the  old  state  of  things,"  answered 
Pelle,  with  a  smile. 

Thus  they  would  discuss  the  possibilities  for  the  future 
in  connection  with  the  events  of  the  day  when  Pelle  sat 
beside  the  old  man  in  the  evening,  both  of  them  engrossed 
in  the  subject.  Sometimes  the  old  man  felt  that  he  ran 
off  the  lines.  "  It's  the  blood,"  he  said  despondently. 
"  I'm  not,  after  all,  quite  one  of  you.  It's  so  long  since 
one  of  my  family  worked  with  his  hands  that  I've  for- 
gotten it." 

During  this  time  he  often  touched  upon  his.  past,  and 
every  evening  had  something  to  tell  about  himself.  It  was 
as  though  he  were  determined  to  find  a  law  that  would 
place  him  by  Pelle 's  side. 

Brun  belonged  to  an  old  family  that  could  be  traced 
back  several  hundred  years  to  the  captain  of  a  ship,  who 
traded  with  the  Tranquebar  coast.  The  founder  of  the 
family,  who  was  also  a  whaler  and  a  pirate,  lived  in  a  house 
on  one  of  the  Kristianshavn  canals.  When  his  ship  was 
at  home,  she  lay  to  at  the  wharf  just  outside  his  street- 
door.  The  Bruns'  house  descended  from  father  to  son,  and 

VOL.  IV.  R 


242  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

was  gradually  enlarged  until  it  became  quite  a  mansion. 
In  the  course  of  four  generations  it  had  become  one  of  the 
largest  trading-houses  of  the  capital.  At  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  and  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
most  of  the  members  of  the  family  had  gone  over  into  the 
world  of  stockbrokers  and  bankers,  and  thence  the  changes 
went  still  further.  Brun's  father,  the  well-known  Kornelius 
Brun,  stuck  to  the  old  business,  his  brothers  making  over 
their  share  to  him  and  entering  the  diplomatic  service,  one 
of  them  receiving  a  high  Court  appointment. 

Kornelius  Brun  felt  it  his  duty  to  carry  on  the  old 
business,  and  in  order  to  keep  on  a  level  with  his  brothers 
as  regarded  rank,  he  married  a  lady  of  noble  birth  from 
Funen,  of  a  very  old  family  heavily  burdened  with  debt. 
She  bore  him  three  children,  all  of  whom — as  he  himself 
said — were  failures.  The  first  child  was  a  deaf  mute  with 
very  small  intellectual  powers.  It  fortunately  died  before 
it  attained  to  man's  estate.  Number  two  was  very  intelli- 
gent and  endowed  with  every  talent,  but  even  as  a  boy 
exhibited  perverse  tendencies.  He  was  very  handsome, 
had  soft,  dark  hair,  and  a  delicate,  womanish  complexion. 
His  mother  dressed  him  in  velvet,  and  idolised  him.  He 
never  did  anything  useful,  but  went  about  in  fine  company 
and  spent  large  sums  of  money.  In  his  fortieth  year  he 
died  suddenly,  a  physical  and  moral  wreck.  The  announce- 
ment of  the  death  gave  a  stroke  as  the  cause  ;  but  the  truth 
was  that  rumours  had  begun  to  circulate  of  a  scandal  in 
which  he  was  implicated  together  with  some  persons  of 
high  standing.  It  was  at  the  end  of  the  seventies,  at  the 
time  when  the  lower  class  movement  began  to  gather  way. 
An  energetic  investigation  was  demanded  from  below,  and 
it  was  considered  inadvisable  to  hush  the  story  up  alto- 
gether, for  fear  of  giving  support  to  the  assertion  of  the 
rottenness  and  onesidedness  of  the  existing  conditions. 


DAYBREAK  243 

When  an  investigation  became  imminent,  and  it  was 
evident  that  Bran  would  be  offered  up  upon  the  altar  of 
the  multitude  in  order  to  shield  those  who  stood  higher, 
Kornelius  Brun  put  a  pistol  into  his  son's  hand — or  shot 
him  ;  the  librarian  was  unable  to  say  which. 

"  Those  were  two  of  the  fruits  upon  the  decaying  family 
tree,"  said  Brun  bitterly,  "  and  it  can't  be  denied  that  they 
were  rather  worm-eaten.  The  third  was  myself.  I  came 
fifteen  years  after  my  youngest  brother.  By  that  time  my 
parents  had  had  enough  of  their  progeny  ;  at  any  rate 
I  was  considered  from  the  beginning  to  be  a  hopeless 
failure,  even  before  I  had  had  an  opportunity  of  showing 
anything  at  all.  Perhaps  they  felt  instinctively  that  I 
should  take  a  wrong  direction  too.  In  me  too  the  dis- 
integrating forces  predominated  ;  I  was  greatly  deficient, 
for  instance,  in  family  feeling.  I  remember  when  still 
quite  little  hearing  my  mother  complain  of  my  plebeian 
tendencies  ;  I  always  kept  with  the  servants,  and  took 
their  part  against  my  parents.  My  family  looked  more 
askance  at  me  for  upholding  the  rights  of  our  inferiors,  than 
they  had  done  at  the  idiot  who  tore  everything  to  pieces, 
or  the  spendthrift  who  made  scandals  and  got  into  debt. 
And  I  dare  say  with  good  reason  !  Mother  gave  me  plenty 
of  money  to  amuse  myself  with,  probably  to  counteract  my 
plebeian  tendencies  ;  but  I  had  soon  done  with  the  pleasures 
and  devoted  myself  to  study.  Things  of  the  day  did  not 
interest  me,  but  even  as  a  boy  I  had  a  remarkable  desire 
to  look  back  ;  I  devoted  myself  especially  to  history  and 
its  philosophy.  Father  was  right  when  he  derided  me  and 
called  it  going  into  a  monastery  ;  at  an  age  when  other 
young  men  are  lovers,  I  could  not  find  any  woman  that 
interested  me,  while  almost  any  book  tempted  me  to  a 
closer  acquaintance.  For  a  long  time  he  hoped  that  I 
would  think  better  of  it  and  take  over  the  business,  and 


244  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

when  I  definitely  chose  study,  it  came  to  a  quarrel  between 
us.  "  When  the  business  comes  to  an  end,  there's  an  end 
of  the  family  !  "  he  said,  and  sold  the  whole  concern.  He 
had  been  a  widower  then  for  several  years,  and  had  only 
me  ;  but  during  the  five  years  that  he  lived  after  selling 
the  business,  we  didn't  see  one  another.  He  hated  me 
because  I  didn't  take  it  over,  but  what  could  I  have  done 
with  it  ?  I  possessed  none  of  the  qualities  necessary  for 
the  carrying  on  of  business  in  our  day,  and  should  only 
have  ruined  the  whole  thing.  From  the  time  I  was  thirty, 
my  time  has  been  passed  among  bookshelves,  and  I've 
registered  the  lives  and  doings  of  others.  It's  only  now 
that  I've  come  out  into  the  daylight  and  am  beginning  to 
live  my  own  life  ;  and  now  it'll  soon  be  ended  !  " 

"  It's  only  now  that  life's  beginning  to  be  worth  living," 
said  Pelle,  "  so  you've  come  out  just  at  the  right  time." 

"  Ah  no  !  "  said  Brun,  despondently.  "  I'm  not  in  the 
ascendant !  I  meet  young  men  and  my  mind  inclines 
to  them  ;  but  it's  like  evening  and  morning  meeting  in  the 
same  glow  during  the  light  nights.  I've  only  got  my  share 
in  the  new  because  the  old  must  bend  to  it,  so  that  the  ring 
may  be  completed.  You  go  in  where  I  go  out." 

"  It  must  have  been  a  melancholy  existence  to  be  always 
among  books,  books,  without  a  creature  that  cared  for  you," 
put  in  Ellen.  "  Why  didn't  you  marry  ?  Surely  we  women 
aren't  so  terrible  that  there  mightn't  have  been  one  that 
you  liked  ?  " 

"  No,  you'd  think  not,  but  it's  true  nevertheless," 
answered  Brun,  with  a  smile.  "  The  antipathy  was  mutual 
too  ;  it's  always  like  that.  I  suppose  it  wasn't  intended 
that  an  old  fellow  like  me  should  put  children  into  the 
world  !  It's  not  nice  though,  to  be  the  end  of  something." 
Ellen  laughed.  "  Yes,  but  you  haven't  always  been 
old  !  " 


DAYBREAK  245 

"  Yes,  I  have  really ;  I  was  born  old.  I'm  only  now 
beginning  to  feel  young.  And  who  knows  ?  "  he  exclaimed 
with  grim  humour.  "  I  may  play  Providence  a  trick  and 
make  my  appearance  some  day  with  a  little  wife  on  my 
arm." 

"  Brun's  indulging  in  fancies,"  said  Pelle,  as  they  went 
down  to  bed.  "  But  I  suppose  they'll  go  when  he's  about 
again." 

"  He's  not  had  much  of  a  time,  poor  old  soul !  "  said 
Ellen,  going  closer  to  Pelle.  "  It's  a  shame  that  there  are 
people  who  get  no  share  in  all  the  love  there  is — just  as 
great  a  shame  as  what  you're  working  against,  I  think  !  " 

"  Yes,  but  we  can't  put  that  straight !  "  exclaimed  Pelle, 
laughing. 


XXI 

IN  the  garden  at  "  Daybreak  "  the  snow  was  disappearing 
from  day  to  day.  First  it  went  away  nearest  the  house, 
and  gave  place  to  a  little  forest  of  snowdrops  and  crocuses. 
The  hyacinths  in  the  grass  began  to  break  through  the 
earth,  coming  up  like  a  row  of  knuckles  that  first  knocked 
at  the  door. 

The  children  were  always  out  watching  the  progress 
made.  They  could  not  understand  how  the  delicate  crocus 
could  push  straight  up  out  of  the  frozen  ground  without 
freezing  to  death,  but  died  when  it  came  into  the  warm 
room.  Every  day  they  wrapped  some  snowdrops  in  paper 
and  laid  them  on  Brun's  table — they  were  "  snowdrop- 
letters  " — and  then  hovered  about  in  ungovernable  excite- 
ment until  he  came  in  from  the  fields,  when  they  met  him 
with  an  air  of  mystery,  and  did  all  they  could  to  entice 
him  upstairs. 

Out  in  the  fields  they  were  nearly  finished  with  the 
excavations,  and  were  only  waiting  for  the  winter  water 
to  sink  in  order  to  cart  up  gravel  and  stone  and  begin  the 
foundations  ;  the  ground  was  too  soft  as  yet. 

Old  Brun  was  not  so  active  now  after  his  confinement  to 
bed  ;  although  there  was  not  much  the  matter  with  him, 
it  had  weakened  him.  He  allowed  Pelle  a  free  hand  with 
the  works,  and  said  Yea  and  Amen  to  everything  he  pro- 
posed. "  I  can't  keep  it  all  in  my  head,"  he  would  say 
when  Pelle  came  to  suggest  some  alteration  ;  "  but  just 
246 


DAYBREAK  247 

do  as  you  like,  my  son,  and  it's  sure  to  be  right."  There 
were  not  enough  palpable  happenings  down  there  to  keep 
his  mind  aglow,  and  he  was  too  old  to  hear  it  grow  and 
draw  strength  from  that.  His  faith,  however,  merely 
shifted  from  the  cause  over  to  Pelle  ;  he  saw  him  alive 
before  him,  and  could  lean  upon  his  youthful  vigour. 

He  had  given  up  his  work  on  the  plans.  He  could  not 
keep  at  it,  and  contented  himself  with  going  the  round  of 
the  fields  two  or  three  times  a  day  and  watching  the  men. 
The  sudden  flame  of  energy  that  Pelle 's  youth  had  called 
to  life  within  him  had  died  down,  leaving  a  pathetic  old 
man,  who  had  been  out  in  the  cold  all  his  life,  and  was  now 
luxuriating  in  a  few  late  rays  of  evening  sun.  He  no  longer 
measured  himself  by  Pelle,  and  was  not  jealous  of  his  taking 
the  lead  in  anything,  but  simply  admired  him  and  kept 
carefully  within  the  circle  of  those  for  whom  Pelle  acted 
providence.  Ellen  treated  him  like  a  big  child  who  needed 
a  great  deal  of  care,  and  the  children  of  course  looked  upon 
him  as  their  equal. 

When  he  went  his  round  of  the  fields,  he  generally  had 
Boy  Comfort  by  the  hand  ;  the  two  could  both  keep  pace 
with  one  another  and  converse  together.  There  was  one 
thing  that  interested  them  both  and  kept  them  in  great 
excitement.  The  stork  was  expected  every  day  back  at 
the  Hill  Farm,  and  when  it  came  it  would  bring  a  baby  to 
Mother  Ellen.  The  expectation  was  not  an  unmixed 
pleasure.  The  stork  always  bit  the  mother  in  the  leg 
when  he  came  with  a  baby  for  her.  Boy  Comfort's  own 
mother  died  of  the  bite  ;  he  was  wise  enough  to  know  that 
now.  The  little  fellow  looked  upon  Ellen  as  his  mother, 
and  went  about  in  a  serious,  almost  depressed  mood.  He 
did  not  talk  to  the  other  children  of  his  anxiety,  for  fear 
they  would  make  fun  of  him  ;  but  when  he  and  the  old  man 
walked  together  in  the  fields  they  discussed  the  matter,  and 


248  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Brun,  as  the  older  and  wiser,  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  was  no  danger.  All  the  same  they  always  kept  near 
the  house  so  as  to  be  at  hand. 

One  day  Pelle  stayed  at  home  from  work,  and  Ellen  did 
not  get  up  as  usual.  "  I'm  going  to  lie  here  and  wait  for 
the  stork,"  she  said  to  Boy  Comfort.  "  Go  out  and  watch 
for  it."  The  little  boy  took  a  stick,  and  he  and  Brun 
tramped  round  the  house  ;  and  when  they  heard  Ellen 
cry  out,  they  squeezed  one  another's  hands.  It  was  such 
a  disturbed  day,  it  was  impossible  to  keep  anything  going 
straight ;  now  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  door  with  a  fat 
woman  in  it,  now  it  was  Lasse  Fredrik  who  leaped  upon 
his  bicycle  and  raced  down  the  field-path,  standing  on  the 
pedals.  Before  Boy  Comfort  had  any  idea  of  it,  the  stork 
had  been  there,  and  Ellen  was  lying  with  a  baby  boy  on 
her  arm.  He  and  Brun  went  in  together  to  congratulate 
her,  and  they  were  both  equally  astonished.  The  old 
man  had  to  be  allowed  to  touch  the  baby's  cheek. 

"  He's  still  so  ugly,"  said  Ellen,  with  a  shy  smile,  as  she 
lifted  the  corner  of  the  shawl  from  the  baby's  head.  Then 
she  had  to  be  left  quiet,  and  Brun  took  Boy  Comfort 
upstairs  with  him. 

Pelle  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  holding  Ellen's  hand, 
which  in  a  few  hours  had  become  white  and  thin.  "  Now 
we  must  send  for  '  Queen  Theresa,'  "  she  said. 

"  Shan't  we  send  for  your  mother  too  ?  "  asked  Pelle, 
who  had  often  proposed  that  they  should  take  the  matter 
into  their  own  hands,  and  go  and  see  the  old  people.  He 
did  not  like  keeping  up  old  quarrels. 

Ellen  shook  her  head.  "  They  must  come  of  their  own 
accord,"  she  said  decidedly.  She  did  not  mind  for  herself, 
but  they  had  looked  down  upon  Pelle,  so  it  was  not  more 
than  fair  that  they  should  come  and  make  it  up. 

"  But  I  have  sent  for  them,"  said  Pelle.    "  That  was 


DAYBREAK  249 

what  Lasse  Fredrik  went  about.  You  mustn't  have  a  baby 
without  help  from  your  mother." 

In  less  than  a  couple  of  hours  Madam  Stolpe  had  arrived. 
She  was  much  moved,  and  to  hide  it  she  began  turning  the 
house  inside  out  for  clean  cloths  and  binders,  scolding  all 
the  time.  A  nice  time,  indeed,  to  send  for  anybody,  when 
it  was  all  over  ! 

Father  Stolpe  was  harder.  He  was  not  one  to  come 
directly  he  was  whistled  for !  But  two  or  three  evenings 
after  the  baby  had  arrived,  Pelle  ran  up  against  him 
hanging  about  a  little  below  the  house.  Well,  he  was 
waiting  for  mother,  to  take  her  home,  and  it  didn't  concern 
anybody  else,  he  supposed.  He  pretended  to  be  very 
determined,  but  it  was  comparatively  easy  to  persuade  him 
to  come  in  ;  and  once  in,  it  was  not  long  before  Ellen  had 
thawed  him.  She  had,  as  usual,  her  own  manner  of 
procedure. 

"  Let  me  tell  you,  father,  that  it's  not  me  that  sent  for 
you,  but  Pelle  ;  and  if  you  don't  give  him  your  hand  and 
say  you've  done  him  an  injustice,  we  shall  never  be  good 
friends  again  !  " 

"  Upon  my  word,  she's  the  same  confounded  way  of 
taking  the  bull  by  the  horns  that  she  always  had !  "  said 
Stolpe,  without  looking  at  her.  "  Well,  I  suppose  I  may 
as  well  give  in  at  once,  and  own  that  I've  played  the  fool. 
Shall  we  agree  to  let  bygones  be  bygones,  son-in-law  ?  " 
extending  his  hand  to  Pelle. 

When  once  the  reconciliation  was  effected,  Stolpe 
became  quite  cheerful.  "  I  never  dreamt  I  should  see  you 
so  soon,  least  of  all  with  a  baby  !  "  he  said  contentedly, 
stroking  Ellen's  face  with  his  rough  hand. 

"  No,  she's  always  been  his  darling,  and  father's  often 
been  tired  of  it,"  said  Madam  Stolpe.  "  But  men  make 
themselves  so  hard  !  " 


250  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"Rubbish,  mother!"  growled  Stolpe.  "Women  will 
always  talk  nonsense  !  " 

Time  had  left  its  mark  upon  them  both.  There  had 
been  a  certain  amount  of  unemployment  in  his  trade,  and 
Stolpe  was  getting  on  in  years  and  had  a  difficulty  in  keeping 
up  with  the  young  men  on  the  scaffolding.  Their  clothes 
showed  that  they  were  not  so  prosperous  as  formerly  ;  but 
Stolpe  was  still  chairman  of  his  trade  union  and  a  highly 
respected  man  within  the  Movement. 

"  And  now,  my  boy,"  he  said  suddenly,  placing  his  hands 
on  Pelle's  shoulders,  "  you  must  explain  to  me  what  it  is 
you're  doing  this  time.  I  hear  you've  begun  to  stir  up  men's 
feelings  again." 

Pelle  told  him  about  his  great  plan  for  co-operative 
works.  The  old  man  knew  indeed  a  good  deal  about  it  ; 
it  appeared  that  he  had  followed  Pelle's  movements  from  a 
distance. 

"  That's  perhaps  not  so  out  of  the  way,"  he  said.  "  We 
might  squeeze  capital  out  of  existence  just  as  quietly,  if 
we  all  bestirred  ourselves.  But  you  must  get  the  Move- 
ment to  join  you  ;  and  it  must  be  made  clear  that  every 
one  who  doesn't  support  his  own  set  is  a  black-leg." 

"  /  have  got  a  connection,  but  it  goes  rather  slowly," 
said  Pelle. 

"  Then  we  must  stir  them  up  a  little.  I  say,  that  queer 
fellow — Brun  I  think  you  call  him — doesn't  he  live  with 
you  ?  " 

"  He  isn't  a  queer  fellow,"  said  Pelle,  laughing.  "  We 
can  go  up  and  see  him." 

Brun  and  Stolpe  very  soon  found  something  to  talk 
about.  They  were  of  the  same  age,  and  had  witnessed  the 
first  days  of  the  Movement,  each  from  his  own  side.  Madam 
Stolpe  came  several  times  and  pulled  her  husband  by  the 
coat :  they  ought  to  be  going  home. 


DAYBREAK  251 

"  Well,  it's  not  worth  while  to  quarrel  with  your  own 
wife,"  said  Stolpe  at  last ;  "  but  I  shall  come  again.  I 
hear  you're  building  out  here,  and  I  should  like  to  see  what 
our  own  houses  '11  be  like." 

"  We've  not  begun  yet,"  answered  Pelle.  "  But  come 
out  on  Sunday,  and  Brun  and  I  will  show  it  all  to  you." 

"  I  suppose  it's  masters  who'll  get  it  ?  "  asked  Stolpe. 

"  No,  we  thought  of  letting  the  unemployed  have  the 
work  if  they  could  undertake  it,  and  have  a  man  to  put 
at  the  head,"  said  Brun.  "  Perhaps  you  could  undertake 
it?" 

"  Why,  of  course  I  can  !  "  answered  Stolpe,  with  a  feeling 
of  his  own  importance.  "I'm  the  man  to  build  houses  for 
workmen  !  I  was  member  of  the  party  when  it  numbered 
only  one  man." 

"  Yes,  Stolpe's  the  veteran  of  the  Movement,"  said 
Pelle. 

"  Upon  my  word,  it'd  be  awfully  nice  if  it  was  me !  " 
exclaimed  Stolpe.  when  Pelle  accompanied  the  old  couple 
down  to  the  tram.  "  I'll  get  together  a  set  of  workmen 
that  have  never  been  equalled.  And  what  houses  we  shall 
put  up  !  There  won't  be  much  papier-mache  there  !  " 


XXII 

IT  still  sometimes  happened  that  Pelle  awoke  in  the  night 
not  knowing  where  he  was.  He  was  oppressed  with  a 
stifling  anxiety,  dreaming  that  he  was  in  prison,  and 
fancying  he  could  still  smell  the  rank,  mouldy  odour  of  the 
cell.  He  gradually  came  to  his  senses  and  knew  where  he 
was ;  the  sounds  of  breathing  around  him,  and  the  warm 
influence  of  the  darkness  itself,  brought  him  back  to  his 
home.  He  sat  up  joyfully,  and  struck  a  match  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  Ellen  and  the  little  ones.  He  dared  not  go  to 
sleep  again,  for  sleep  would  instantly  take  him  back  to  the 
prison  ;  so  he  dressed  quietly  and  stole  out  to  see  the  day 
awaken. 

It  was  strange  with  these  dreams,  for  they  turned  every- 
thing upside  down.  In  the  prison  he  always  dreamed  he 
was  free  and  living  happily  ;  nothing  less  would  do  there. 
There  the  day  was  bad  and  the  night  good,  and  here  it  was 
the  reverse.  It  was  as  though  something  within  one  would 
always  have  everything.  "  That  must  be  the  soul !  "  he 
thought  as  he  wandered  eastwards  to  meet  the  first  gleam 
of  day.  In  the  country  at  home,  the  old  people  in  his 
childhood  believed  that  dreams  were  the  soul  wandering 
about  by  itself ;  some  had  seen  it  as  a  white  mouse  creeping 
out  of  the  sleeper's  mouth  to  gather  fresh  experiences  for 
him.  It  was  true,  too,  that  through  dreams  the  poor  man 
had  hitherto  had  everything ;  they  carried  him  out  of  his 
prison.  Perhaps  the  rdles  were  exchanged  during  the 
darkness  of  night.  Perhaps  the  rich  man's  soul  came  during 
252 


DAYBREAK  253 

the  night  and  slipped  into  the  poor  man's  body  to  gather 
suffering  for  his  master. 

There  was  spring  in  the  air.  As  yet  it  was  only  per- 
ceptible to  Pelle  in  a  feeling  of  elation,  a  desire  to  expand 
and  burst  all  boundaries.  He  walked  with  his  face  towards 
the  opening  day,  and  had  a  feeling  of  unconquerable  power. 
Whence  this  feeling  came  he  knew  not,  but  it  was  there. 
He  felt  himself  as  something  immense  that  was  shut  into 
a  small  space  and  would  blow  up  the  world  if  it  were  let 
loose.  He  walked  on  quickly.  Above  his  head  rose  the 
first  lark.  Slowly  the  earth  drew  from  its  face  the  wonderful 
veil  of  rest  and  mystery  that  was  night. 

Perhaps  the  feeling  of  strength  came  from  his  having 
taken  possession  of  his  spirit  and  commanding  a  view  of  the 
world.  The  world  had  no  limits,  but  neither  had  his 
powers  ;  the  force  that  could  throw  him  out  of  his  course 
did  not  exist.  In  his  own  footfall  he  heard  the  whole 
future  ;  the  Movement  would  soon  be  concluded  when  it 
had  taken  in  the  fact  that  the  whole  thing  must  be  included. 
There  was  still  a  little  difficulty  ;  from  that  side  they  still 
made  it  a  condition  for  their  co-operation  that  Pelle  should 
demand  a  public  recognition  of  his  good  character.  Pelle 
laughed  and  raised  his  face  to  the  morning  breeze  which  came 
like  a  cold  shiver  before  the  sunrise.  Outsider  !  Yes,  there 
was  some  truth  in  it.  He  did  not  belong  to  the  existing  state 
of  things  ;  he  desired  no  civil  rights  there.  That  he  was  out- 
side was  his  stamp  of  nobility  ;  his  relations  to  the  future 
were  contained  in  that  fact.  He  had  begun  the  fight  as  one 
of  the  lowest  of  the  people,  and  as  such  he  would  triumph. 
When  he  rose  there  should  no  longer  be  a  pariah  caste. 

As  he  walked  along  with  the  night  behind  him  and 

his  face  to  the  light,  he  seemed  to  have  just  entered  into 

youth  with  everything  before    him — everything  to  look 

orward  to  !    And  yet  he  seemed  to  have  existed  since  the 


254  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

morning  of  time,  so  thoroughly  did  he  know  the  world  of 
darkness  that  he  left.  Was  not  man  a  wonderful  being, 
both  in  his  power  to  shrink  up  and  become  nothing,  and  in 
his  power  to  expand  and  fill  everything.  He  now  under- 
stood Uncle  Kalle's  smile  on  all  occasions  ;  he  had  armed 
himself  with  it  in  order  that  life  should  not  draw  too  deep 
furrows  in  his  gentle  nature.  The  poor  man  had  been 
obliged  to  dull  himself  ;  he  would  simply  bleed  to  death  if 
he  gave  himself  up  to  stern  reality.  The  dulness  had  been 
like  a  hard  shell  that  protected  the  poor  ;  and  now  they 
came  with  their  heart  quite  safe  in  spite  of  everything. 
They  could  very  well  lead  when  times  were  good. 

Pelle  had  always  a  vague  feeling  of  being  chosen.  Even 
as  a  child  it  made  him  look  with  courage  in  the  face  of  a  hard 
world,  and  filled  his  bare  limbs  with  elasticity.  Poor  and 
naked  he  came  into  the  world,  apparently  without  a  gift 
of  any  kind  ;  and  yet  he  came  as  a  bright  promise  to  the 
elderly,  work-bowed  Father  Lasse.  Light  radiated  from 
him,  insignificant  and  ordinary  though  he  was ;  God  had 
given  him  the  spark,  the  old  man  always  said,  and  he  always 
looked  upon  the  boy  as  a  little  miracle  of  heaven.  The  boy 
Pelle  wondered  a  little  at  it,  but  was  happy  in  his  father's 
pleasure.  He  himself  knew  some  very  different  miracles 
at  that  time,  for  instance  the  calf  of  the  fair  with  two  heads, 
and  the  lamb  with  eight  legs.  He  had  his  own  demands  to 
make  of  life's  wonderful  riches,  and  was  not  struck  with 
surprise  at  a  very  ordinary,  big-eared  urchin  such  as  one 
might  see  any  day. 

And  now  he  was  just  showing  that  Father  Lasse  had  been 
right.  The  greatest  miracles  were  in  himself — Pelle,  who 
resembled  hundreds  of  millions  of  other  workmen,  and  had 
never  yet  had  more  than  just  enough  for  his  food.  Man 
was  really  the  most  wonderful  of  all.  Was  he  not  himself, 
in  all  his  commonplace  naturalness,  like  a  luminous  spark, 


DAYBREAK  255 

sprung  from  the  huge  anvil  of  divine  thought  ?  He  could 
send  out  his  inquiring  thought  to  the  uttermost  borders  of 
space,  and  back  to  the  dawn  of  time.  And  this  all-embracing 
power  seemed  to  have  proceeded  from  nothing,  like  God 
Himself  !  The  mere  fact  that  he,  who  made  so  much  noise, 
had  to  go  to  prison  in  order  to  comprehend  the  great 
object  of  things,  was  a  marvel !  There  must  have  been 
far-reaching  plans  deposited  in  him,  since  he  shut  himself  in . 
When  he  looked  out  over  the  rising,  he  felt  himself  to 
be  facing  a  world-thought  with  extraordinarily  long  sight. 
The  common  people,  without  knowing  it,  had  been  for 
centuries  preparing  themselves  for  an  entry  into  a  new 
world  ;  the  migration  of  the  masses  would  not  be  stopped 
until  they  had  reached  their  goal.  A  law  which  they  did 
not  even  know  themselves,  and  could  not  enter  into,  led 
them  the  right  way ;  and  Pelle  was  not  afraid.  At  the 
back  of  his  unwearied  labour  with  the  great  problem  of 
the  age  was  the  recognition  that  he  was  one  of  those  on 
whom  the  nation  laid  the  responsibility  for  the  future  ; 
but  he  was  never  in  doubt  as  to  the  aim,  nor  the  means. 
During  the  great  lock-out  the  foreseeing  had  feared  the 
impossibility  of  leading  all  these  crowds  into  the  fire. 
And  then  the  whole  thing  had  opened  out  of  itself  quite 
naturally,  from  an  apparently  tiny  cause  to  a  steadily 
ordered  battle  all  along  the  line.  The  world  had  never 
before  heard  a  call  so  great  as  that  which  he  and  his 
followers  brought  forward  !  It  meant  nothing  less  than  the 
triumph  of  goodness !  He  was  not  fond  of  using  great 
words,  but  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he  was  convinced 
that  everything  bad  originated  in  want  and  misery.  Dis- 
trust and  selfishness  came  from  misusage  ;  they  were  man's 
defence  against  extortion.  And  the  extortion  came  from 
insecure  conditions,  from  reminders  of  want  or  unconscious 
fear  of  it.  Most  crimes  could  easily  be  traced  back  to  the 


256  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

distressing  conditions,  and  even  where  the  connection  was 
not  perceptible  he  was  sure  that  it  nevertheless  existed. 
It  was  his  experience  that  every  one  in  reality  was  good  : 
the  evil  in  them  could  nearly  always  be  traced  back  to 
something  definite,  while  the  goodness  often  existed  in 
spite  of  everything.  It  would  triumph  altogether  when 
the  conditions  became  secure  for  everybody.  He  was  sure 
that  even  the  crimes  that  were  due  to  abnormity  would 
cease  of  themselves  when  there  were  no  longer  hidden 
reminders  of  misery  in  the  community. 

It  was  his  firm  belief  that  he  and  his  followers  should 
renew  the  world  ;  the  common  people  should  turn  it  into 
a  paradise  for  the  multitude,  just  as  it  had  already  made 
it  a  paradise  for  the  few.  It  would  require  a  great  and 
courageous  mind  for  this,  but  his  army  had  been  well 
tested.  Those  who,  from  time  immemorial,  had  patiently 
borne  the  pressure  of  existence  for  others,  must  be  well 
fitted  to  take  upon  themselves  the  leadership  into  the  new 
age. 

Pelle  at  last  found  himself  in  Strand  Road,  and  it  was 
too  late  to  return  home.  He  was  ravenously  hungry  and 
bought  a  couple  of  rolls  at  a  baker's,  and  ate  them  on  his 
way  to  work. 

***** 

At  midday  Brun  came  into  the  works  to  sign  some 
papers  and  to  go  through  accounts  with  Pelle.  They  were 
sitting  up  in  the  office  behind  the  shop.  Pelle  read  out  the 
items  and  made  remarks  on  them,  while  the  old  man  gave 
his  half  attention  and  merely  nodded.  He  was  longing 
to  get  back  to  "  Daybreak."  "  You  won't  mind  making 
it  as  short  as  possible  ?  "  he  said,  "  for  I  don't  feel  quite 
well."  The  harsh  spring  winds  were  bad  for  him  and  made 
his  breathing  difficult.  The  doctor  had  advised  a  couple  of 
months  in  the  Riviera — until  the  spring  was  over  ;  but 


DAYBREAK  257 

the  old  man  could  not  make  up  his  mind.    He  had  not  the 
courage  to  set  out  alone. 

The  shop-bell  rang,  and  Pelle  went  in  to  serve.  A  young 
sunburnt  man  stood  on  the  other  side  of  the  counter  and 
laughed. 

"  Don't  you  know  me  ?  "  he  asked,  holding  out  his 
hand  to  Pelle.  It  was  Karl,  the  youngest  of  the  three 
orphans  in  the  "  Ark." 

"Why,  of  course  I  know  you!  "  answered  Pelle,  de- 
lighted. "  I've  been  to  Adel  Street  to  look  for  you  ;  I 
was  told  you  had  your  business  there." 

That  had  been  a  long  time  ago  !  Now  Karl  Anker  was 
manager  of  a  large  supply  association  over  on  Funen. 
He  had  come  over  to  order  some  boots  and  shoes  from 
Pelle  for  the  association.  "  It's  only  a  trial,"  he  said.  "  If 
it  succeeds  I'll  get  you  a  connection  with  the  co-operative 
association,  and  that's  a  customer  that  takes  something, 
I  can  tell  you  !  " 

Pelle  had  to  make  haste  to  take  down  the  order,  as 
Karl  had  to  catch  a  train. 

"  It's  a  pity  you  haven't  got  time  to  see  our  works," 
said  Pelle.  "  Do  you  remember  little  Paul  from  the 
'  Ark  '  ?  The  factory-girl's  child  that  she  tied  to  the  stove 
when  she  went  to  work  ?  He's  become  a  splendid  fellow. 
He's  my  head  man  in  the  factory.  He'd  like  to  see  you  !  " 

When  Karl  was  gone  and  Pelle  was  about  to  go  in  to 
Bran  in  the  office,  he  caught  sight  of  a  small,  somewhat 
deformed  woman  with  a  child,  walking  to  and  fro  above 
the  workshop  windows,  and  taking  stolen  glances  down. 
They  timidly  made  way  for  people  passing,  and  looked 
very  frightened.  Pelle  called  them  into  the  shop. 

"  Do  you  want  to  speak  to  Peter  Dreyer  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  woman  nodded.     She  had  a  refined  face  with  large 
sorrowful  eyes.     "  If  it  won't  disturb  him,"  she  said. 
VOL.  iv.  s 


258  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Pelle  called  Peter  Dreyer  and  then  went  into  the  office, 
where  he  found  Brun  had  fallen  asleep. 

He  heard  them  whispering  in  the  shop.  Peter  was  angry, 
and  the  woman  and  the  child  cried  ;  he  could  hear  it  in  the 
tones  of  their  whisper.  It  did  not  last  more  than  a  minute, 
and  then  Peter  let  them  out.  Pelle  went  quickly  into  the 
shop. 

"  If  it  was  money,"  he  said  hurriedly,  "  you  know  you've 
only  got  to  tell  me." 

"No,  it  was  the  big  meeting  of  unemployed  this 
afternoon.  They  were  begging  me  to  stop  at  home,  silly 
creatures !  Goodness  knows  what's  come  to  them ! " 
Peter  was  quite  offended.  "  By  the  by — I  suppose  you 
haven't  any  objection  to  my  going  now  ?  It  begins  in 
an  hour's  time." 

"  I  thought  it  had  been  postponed,"  said  Pelle. 

"  Yes,  but  that  was  only  a  ruse  to  prevent  its  being 
prohibited.  We're  holding  it  in  a  field  out  by  Norrebro. 
You  ought  to  come  too  ;  it'll  be  a  meeting  that'll  be 
remembered.  We  shall  settle  great  matters  to-day." 
Peter  was  nervous,  and  fidgeted  with  his  clothes  while 
he  spoke. 

Pelle  placed  his  hands  on  his  shoulders  and  looked  into 
his  eyes.  "  You'd  better  do  what  those  two  want,"  he 
said  earnestly.  "  I  don't  know  them,  of  course  ;  but  if 
their  welfare's  dependent  on  you,  then  they  too  have  a 
claim  upon  you.  Give  up  what  you  were  going  to  do, 
and  go  out  for  a  walk  with  those  two  !  Everything's 
budding  now  ;  take  them  to  the  woods  !  It's  better  to 
make  two  people  happy  than  a  thousand  unhappy." 

Peter  looked  away.  "  We're  not  going  to  do  anything 
special,  so  what  is  there  to  make  such  a  fuss  about  ?  "  he 
murmured. 

"  You  are  going  to  do  something  to-day ;  I  can  see  it 


DAYBREAK  259 

in  you.  And  if  you  can't  carry  it  through,  who'll  have  to 
take  the  consequences  ?  Why,  the  women  and  children  ! 
You  can't  carry  it  through  !  Our  strength  doesn't  lie  in 
that  direction." 

''You  go  your  way  and  let  me  go  mine,"  said  Peter, 
gently  freeing  himself. 

Two  policemen  were  standing  on  the  opposite  pavement; 
talking  together,  while  they  secretly  kept  an  eye  on  the 
shop.  Pelle  pointed  to  them. 

"  The  police  don't  know  where  the  meeting's  to  be  held, 
so  they're  keeping  watch  on  me,"  said  Peter,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "  I  can  easily  put  those  two  on  the  wrong 
track." 

The  policemen  crossed  the  street  and  separated  outside 
the  shop.  One  of  them  stood  looking  at  the  articles 
exhibited  in  the  window  for  a  little  while,  and  then  quickly 
entered  the  shop.  "  Is  Peter  Dreyer  here  ?  "  he  asked 
haughtily. 

"  I'm  he,"  answered  Peter,  withdrawing  behind  the 
counter.  "  But  I  advise  you  not  to  touch  me  !  I  can't 
bear  the  touch  of  a  policeman's  hands." 

"  You're  arrested ! "  said  the  policeman,  shortly, 
following  him. 

Pelle  laid  his  hand  upon  his  arm.  "  You  should  go  to 
work  with  a  little  gentleness,"  he  said.  But  the  man 
pushed  him  roughly  away.  "I'll  have  no  interference 
from  you ! "  he  cried,  blowing  his  whistle.  Peter  started, 
and  for  a  moment  his  thoughts  were  at  a  standstill ;  then 
he  leaped  like  a  cat  over  the  iron  railing  of  the  workshop 
steps.  But  the  other  policeman  was  there  to  receive  him, 
and  he  sprang  once  more  into  the  shop,  close  up  to  his 
pursuer.  He  had  his  revolver  in  his  hand.  "I've  had 
enough  of  this,  confound  you  !  "  he  hissed. 

Two  shots  sounded,  one  immediately  after  the  other. 


260  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

The  policeman  just  managed  to  turn  round,  but  fell  forward 
with  his  head  under  the  counter,  and  Peter  dropped  upon 
the  top  of  him.  It  looked  as  if  he  had  tripped  over  the 
policeman's  leg  ;  but  when  Pelle  went  to  help  him  up  he 
saw  that  the  blood  was  trickling  from  a  hole  in  his  temple. 
The  policeman  was  dead. 

Peter  opened  his  eyes  with  difficulty  when  Pelle  raised 
his  head.  "  Take  me  away  !  "  he  whispered,  turning  his 
head  towards  the  dead  man  with  an  expression  of  loathing. 
He  still  kept  a  convulsive  hold  upon  his  revolver. 

Pelle  took  it  from  him,  and  carried  him  in  to  the  sofa 
in  the  office.  "  Get  me  a  little  water  !  "  said  Pelle  to  the 
old  librarian,  who  was  standing  trembling  at  the  door, 
but  the  old  man  did  not  hear  him. 

Peter  made  a  sign  that  he  needed  nothing  now.  "  But 
those  two,"  he  whispered.  Pelle  nodded.  "  And  then — 

Pelle — comrade "  He  tried  to  fix  his  dying  gaze  upon 

Pelle,  but  suddenly  started  convulsively,  his  knees  being 
drawn  right  up  to  his  chin.  "  Bloodhounds  !  "  he  groaned, 
his  eyes  converging  so  strongly  that  the  pupils  disappeared 
altogether  ;  but  then  his  features  fell  once  more  into  their 
ordinary  folds  as  his  head  sank  back,  and  he  was  dead. 

The  policeman  came  in.  "  Well,  is  he  dead  ?  "  he  asked 
maliciously.  "  He's  made  fools  of  us  long  enough  !  " 

Pelle  took  him  by  the  arm  and  led  him  to  the  door. 
"  He's  no  longer  in  your  district,"  he  said  as  he  closed 
the  door  behind  him  and  followed  the  man  into  the  shop, 
where  the  dead  policeman  lay  upon  the  counter.  His 
fellow-policeman  had  laid  him  there,  locked  the  outer  door, 
and  pulled  down  the  blinds. 

"  Will  you  stop  the  work  and  tell  the  men  what  has 
happened  ?  "  said  Pelle  quietly  to  Brun.  "  There's  some- 
thing else  I  must  see  to.  There'll  be  no  more  work  done 
here  to-day." 


DAYBREAK  261 

"  Are  you  going  ?  "  asked  the  old  man  anxiously. 

"  Yes,  I'm  going  to  take  Peter's  meeting  for  him,  now 
that  he  can't  do  it  himself,"  answered  Pelle  in  a  low  voice. 

They  had  gone  down  through  the  workshop,  where 
the  men  were  standing  about,  looking  at  one  another. 
They  had  heard  the  shots,  but  had  no  idea  what  they 
meant.  "  Peter  is  dead  !  "  said  Pelle.  His  emotion  pre- 
vented him  from  saying  anything  more.  Everything 
seemed  suddenly  to  rush  over  him,  and  he  hastened  out 
and  jumped  on  to  a  tram-car. 

Out  on  one  of  the  large  fields  behind  Norrebro  a  couple 
of  thousand  unemployed  were  gathered.  The  wind  had 
risen  and  blew  gustily  from  the  west  over  the  field.  The 
men  tramped  backwards  and  forwards,  or  stood  shivering 
in  their  thin  clothes.  The  temper  of  the  crowd  was 
threatening.  Men  continued  to  pour  out  from  the  side 
streets,  most  of  them  sorry  figures,  with  faces  made  older 
by  want  of  work.  Many  of  them  could  no  longer  show 
themselves  in  the  town  for  want  of  clothes,  and  took  this 
opportunity  of  joining  the  others. 

There  was  grumbling  among  them  because  the  meeting 
had  not  begun.  Men  asked  one  another  what  the  reason 
was,  and  no  one  could  tell.  Suppose  Peter  Dreyer  had 
cheated  them  too,  and  had  gone  over  to  the  corporation  ! 

Suddenly  a  figure  appeared  upon  the  cart  that  was  to 
be  used  as  a  platform,  and  the  men  pressed  forward  on  all 
sides.  Who  in  the  world  was  it  ?  It  was  not  Peter  Dreyer  ! 
Pelle  ?  What  smith  ?  Oh,  him  from  the  great  struggle — 
"  the  Lightning !  "  Was  he  still  to  the  fore  ?  Yes, 
indeed  he  was  !  Why,  he'd  become  a  big  manufacturer  and 
a  regular  pillar  of  society.  What  in  the  world  did  he  want 
here  ?  He  had  plenty  of  cheek  ! 

Suddenly  a  storm  of  shouts  and  hisses  broke  out, 
mingled  with  a  little  applause. 


262  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

Pelle  stood  looking  out  over  the  crowd  with  an  expres- 
sion of  terrible  earnestness.  Their  demonstration  against 
him  did  not  move  him  ;  he  was  standing  here  in  the  stead 
of  a  dead  man.  He  still  felt  Peter's  heavy  head  on  his 
arm. 

When  comparative  quiet  was  restored  he  raised  his  head. 
"  Peter  Dreyer  is  dead  !  "  he  said  in  a  voice  that  was  heard 
by  every  one.  Whispers  passed  through  the  crowd,  and 
they  looked  questioningly  at  one  another  as  though  they 
had  not  heard  correctly.  He  saw  from  their  expression 
how  much  would  go  to  pieces  in  their  lives  when  they 
believed  it. 

"  It's  a  lie  !  "  suddenly  cried  a  voice,  relieving  the 
tension.  "  You're  hired  by  the  police  to  entice  us  round 
the  corner,  you  sly  fellow  !  " 

Pelle  turned  pale.  "  Peter  Dreyer  is  lying  in  the 
factory  with  a  bullet  through  his  head,"  he  repeated  in- 
exorably. "  The  police  were  going  to  arrest  him,  and  he 
shot  both  the  policeman  and  himself !  " 

For  a  moment  all  the  life  in  the  crowd  seemed  to  be 
petrified  by  the  pitiless  truth,  and  he  saw  how  they  had 
loved  Peter  Dreyer.  Then  they  began  to  make  an  uproar, 
shouting  that  they  would  go  and  speak  to  the  police, 
and  some  even  turned  to  go. 

"  Silence,  people  !  "  cried  Pelle  in  a  loud  voice.  "  Are 
you  grown  men  and  yet  will  get  up  a  row  beside  the  dead 
body  of  a  comrade  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  know  about  it  ?  "  answered  one.  "  You 
don't  know  what  you're  talking  about !  " 

"  I  do  know  at  any  rate  that  at  a  place  out  by  Vesterbro 
there  sits  a  woman  with  a  child,  waiting  for  Peter,  and  he 
will  not  come.  Would  you  have  more  like  them  ?  What 
are  you  thinking  of,  wanting  to  jump  into  the  sea  and 
drown  yourselves  because  you're  wet  through  ?  Will  those 


DAYBREAK  263 

you  leave  behind  be  well  off  ?  For  if  you  think  so,  it's 
your  duty  to  sacrifice  yourselves.  But  don't  you  think 
rather  that  the  community  will  throw  you  into  a  great 
common  pit,  and  leave  your  widows  and  fatherless  children 
to  weep  over  you  ?  " 

"It's  all  very  well  for  you  to  talk  !  "  some  one  shouted. 
"  Yours  are  safe  enough  !  " 

"  I'm  busy  making  yours  safe  for  you,  and  you  want 
to  spoil  it  by  stupidity  !  It's  all  very  well  for  me  to  talk, 
you  say  !  But  if  there's  any  one  of  you  who  dares  turn 
his  face  to  heaven  and  say  he  has  gone  through  more  than 
I  have,  let  him  come  up  here  and  take  my  place." 

He  was  silent  and  looked  out  over  the  crowd.  Their 
wasted  faces  told  him  that  they  were  in  need  of  food,  but 
still  more  of  fresh  hope.  Their  eyes  gazed  into  uncertainty. 
A  responsibility  must  be  laid  upon  them — a  great  responsi- 
bility for  such  prejudiced  beings — if  possible  great  enough 
to  carry  them  on  to  the  goal. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  "  he  went  on.  "  You 
suffer  want  but  you've  always  done  that  without  getting 
anything  for  it ;  and  now  when  there's  some  purpose  in  it, 
you  won't  go  any  further.  We  aren't  just  from  yesterday, 
remember  !  Wasn't  it  us  who  fought  the  great  battle  to 
its  end  together  ?  Now  you  scorn  it  and  the  whole  move- 
ment and  say  they've  brought  nothing  ;  but  it  was  then 
we  broke  through  into  life  and  won  our  right  as  men. 

"  Before  that  time  we  have  for  centuries  borne  our 
blind  hope  safely  through  oppression  and  want.  Is  there 
any  other  class  of  society  that  has  a  marching  route 
like  ours  ?  Forced  by  circumstances  we  prepared  for 
centuries  of  wandering  in  the  desert  and  never  forgot  the 
country ;  the  good  God  had  given  us  some  of  His  own 
infinite  long-suffering  to  carry  us  through  the  toilsome  time. 
And  now,  when  we  are  at  the  border,  you've  forgotten 


264  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

what  we  were  marching  for,  and  sacrifice  the  whole  thing 
if  only  you  can  be  changed  from  thin  slaves  to  fat  slaves !  " 

"  There  are  no  slaves  here  !  "  was  the  threatening  cry 
on  all  sides. 

"  You're  working  horses,  in  harness  and  with  blinkers 
on  !  Now  you  demand  good  feeding.  When  will  the  scales 
fall  from  your  eyes,  so  that  you  take  the  responsibility  upon 
yourselves  ?  You  think  you're  no  end  of  fine  fellows  when 
you  dare  to  bare  your  chest  to  the  bayonets,  but  are  we  a 
match  for  brutality  ?  If  we  were,  the  future  would  not 
be  ours." 

"  Are  you  scoffing  at  Peter  Dreyer  ?  "  asked  a  sullen 
voice. 

"  No,  I  am  not.  Peter  Dreyer  was  one  of  those  who 
go  on  in  advance,  and  smear  the  stones  on  the  road  with 
their  heart's  blood,  so  that  the  rest  of  us  may  find  our  way. 
But  you've  no  right  to  compare  yourselves  with  him.  He 
sank  under  the  weight  of  a  tremendous  responsibility  ;  and 
what  are  you  doing  ?  If  you  want  to  honour  Peter's 
memory  as  it  deserves,  go  quietly  home,  and  join  the 
Movement  again.  There  you  have  work  to  do  that  will 
transform  the  world  when  you  all  set  about  it.  What  will 
it  matter  if  your  strength  ebbs  and  you  suffer  hunger  for  a 
little  longer  while  you're  building  your  own  house  ?  You 
were  hungry  too  when  you  were  building  for  others. 

"  You  referred  to  Peter  Dreyer,  but  we  are  none  of  us 
great  martyrs ;  we  are  everyday,  ordinary  men,  and 
there's  where  our  work  lies.  Haven't  the  thousands  who 
have  suffered  and  died  in  silence  a  still  greater  claim  to  be 
followed  ?  They  have  gone  down  peacefully  for  the  sake 
of  the  development,  and  have  the  strongest  right  to 
demand  our  belief  in  a  peaceable  development.  It  is  just 
we  that  come  from  the  lowest  stratum,  who  must  preserve 
the  historic  development ;  never  has  any  movement  had 


DAYBREAK  265 

so  long  and  sad  a  previous  history  as  ours  !  Suffering  and 
want  have  taught  us  to  accept  the  leadership,  when  the 
good  has  justice  done  to  it ;  and  you  want  to  throw  the 
whole  thing  overboard  by  an  act  of  violence." 

They  listened  to  him  in  silence  now.  He  had  caught 
their  minds,  but  it  was  not  knowledge  they  absorbed.  At 
present  they  looked  most  like  weary  people  who  are  told 
that  they  still  have  a  long  way  to  go.  But  he  would  get 
them  through ! 

"  Comrades !  "  he  cried  earnestly,  "  perhaps  we  who 
are  here  shall  not  live  to  see  the  new,  but  it's  through  us 
that  it'll  some  day  become  reality.  Providence  has  stopped 
at  us,  and  has  appointed  us  to  fight  for  it.  Is  that  not  an 
honour  ?  Look  !  we  come  right  from  the  bottom  of  every- 
thing— entirely  naked ;  the  old  doesn't  hang  about  our 
clothes,  for  we  haven't  any  ;  we  can  clothe  ourselves  in 
the  new.  The  old  God,  with  His  thousands  of  priests  as  a 
defence  against  injustice,  we  do  not  know ;  the  moral  of 
war  we  have  never  understood — we  who  have  always  been 
its  victims.  We  believe  in  the  Good,  because  we  know 
that  without  the  victory  of  goodness  there  will  be  no  future. 
Our  mind  is  light  and  can  receive  the  light ;  we  will  lift 
up  our  little  country  and  show  that  it  has  a  mission  on  the 
earth.  We  who  are  little  ourselves  will  show  how  the  little 
ones  keep  up  and  assert  themselves  by  the  principle  of 
goodness.  We  wish  no  harm  to  any  one,  therefore  the  good 
is  on  our  side.  Nothing  can  in  the  long  run  keep  us  down  ! 
And  now  go  home  !  Your  wives  and  children  are  perhaps 
anxious  on  your  account." 

They  stood  for  a  moment  as  though  still  listening,  and 
then  dispersed  in  silence. 

When  Pelle  sprang  down  from  the  cart,  Morten  came  up 
and  held  out  his  hand.  "  You  are  strong,  Pelle  !  "  he  said 
quietly. 


266  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

"  Where  have  you  come  from  ?  "  exclaimed  Pelle  in 
glad  surprise. 

"  I  came  by  the  steamer  this  afternoon,  and  went 
straight  up  to  the  works.  Brun  told  me  what  had  hap- 
pened and  that  you  were  here.  It  must  have  been  a 
threatening  meeting  !  There  was  a  detachment  of  police 
over  there  in  one  of  the  side  streets.  What  was  going  on  ?  " 

"  They'd  planned  some  demonstration  or  other,  and 
would  in  that  case  have  met  with  harsh  treatment,  I  sup- 
pose," said  Pelle,  gravely. 

"  It  was  well  you  got  them  to  change  their  minds.  I've 
seen  these  demonstrations  in  the  South,  where  the  police 
and  the  soldiers  ride  over  the  miserable  unemployed.  It's 
a  sad  sight." 

They  walked  up  across  the  fields  towards  "  Daybreak." 
"  To  think  that  you're  home  again  !  "  said  Pelle,  with  child- 
like delight.  "  You  never  wrote  a  word  about  coming." 

"Well,  I'd  meant  to  stay  away  another  couple  of  months. 
But  one  day  I  saw  the  birds  of  passage  flying  northwards 
across  the  Mediterranean,  and  I  began  to  be  so  homesick. 
It  was  just  as  well  I  came  too,  for  now  I  can  see  Brun 
before  he  goes." 

"  Oh,  is  he  going  away  after  all  ?  That's  been  settled 
very  quickly.  This  morning  he  couldn't  make  up  his 
mind." 

"It's  this  about  Peter.  The  old  man's  fallen  off  very 
much  in  the  last  six  months.  But  let's  walk  quicker  ! 
I'm  longing  to  see  Ellen  and  the  children.  How's  the 
baby  ?  " 

"  He's  a  little  fatty  ! "  said  Pelle,  proudly.  "  Nine 
pounds  without  his  clothes  !  Isn't  that  splendid  ?  He's  a 
regular  sunshine  baby." 


XXIII 

IT  is  spring  once  more  in  Denmark. 

It  has  been  coming  for  a  long  time.  The  lark  came 
before  the  frost  was  out  of  the  ground,  and  then  the  starling 
appeared.  And  one  day  the  air  seemed  suddenly  to  have 
become  high  and  light  so  that  the  eye  could  once  more  see 
far  out  ;  there  was  a  peculiar  broad  airiness  in  the  wind — 
the  breath  of  spring.  It  rushed  along  with  messages  of 
young,  manly  strength,  and  people  threw  back  their 
shoulders  and  took  deep  breaths.  "  Ah  !  the  south  wind  !  " 
they  said,  and  opened  their  minds  in  anticipation. 

There  he  comes  riding  across  the  sea  from  the  south,  in 
the  middle  of  his  youthful  train.  Never  before  has  his 
coming  been  so  glorious  !  Is  he  not  like  the  sun  himself  ? 
The  sea  glitters  under  golden  hoofs,  and  the  air  is  quivering 
with  sunbeam-darts  caught  and  thrown  in  the  wild  gallop 
over  the  waves.  Heigh-ho  !  Who'll  be  the  first  to  reach 
the  Danish  shore  ? 

Like  a  broad  wind  the  spring  advances  over  islands  and 
belts,  embracing  the  whole  in  arrogant  strength.  He  sings 
in  the  children's  open  mouths  as  in  a  shell,  and  is  lavish 
of  his  airy  freshness.  Women's  teeth  grow  whiter  with  his 
kiss,  and  vie  with  their  eyes  in  brightness ;  their  cheeks 
glow  beneath  his  touch,  though  they  remain  cool — like 
sun-ripe  fruit  under  the  morning  dew.  Men's  brains  whirl 
once  more,  and  expand  into  an  airy  vault,  as  large  as 
heaven  itself,  giddy  with  expectancy.  From  high  up  comes 
267 


268  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

the  sound  of  the  passage  birds  in  flight ;  the  air  is  dizzy 
with  its  own  infinitude. 

Bareheaded  and  with  a  sunny  smile  the  spring  advances 
like  a  young  giant  intoxicated  with  his  own  strength, 
stretches  out  his  arms  and  wakens  everything  with  his  song. 
Nothing  can  resist  him.  He  touches  lightly  the  heart  of 
the  sleeping  earth,  calling  merrily  into  her  dull  ears  to  awake. 
And  deep  down  the  roots  of  life  begin  to  stir  and  wake,  and 
send  the  sap  circulating  once  more.  Hedgehogs  and 
field-mice  emerge  sleepily  and  begin  to  busy  themselves  in 
the  hedges.  From  the  darkness  below  old  decayed  matter 
ferments  and  bubbles  up,  and  the  stagnant  water  in  the 
ditches  begins  to  run  towards  the  sea. 

Men  stand  and  gaze  in  amazement  after  the  open- 
handed  giant,  until  they  feel  the  growth  in  themselves  and 
can  afford  something.  All  that  was  impossible  before  has 
suddenly  become  possible,  and  more  besides.  The  farmer 
has  long  since  had  his  plough  in  the  earth,  and  the  sower 
straps  his  basket  on  :  the  land  is  to  be  clothed  again. 

The  days  lengthen  and  become  warmer  ;  it  is  delightful 
to  watch  them  and  know  that  they  are  going  upwards. 
One  day  Ellen  opens  wide  the  double  doors  out  to  the 
garden  ;  it  is  like  a  release.  But  what  a  quantity  of  dirt 
the  light  reveals ! 

"  We  shall  have  to  be  busy  now,  Petra  Dreyer  !  "  says 
Ellen.  The  little  deformed  sewing- woman  smiles  with  her 
sad  eyes,  and  the  two  women  begin  to  sweep  floors  and 
wash  windows.  Now  and  then  a  little  girl  comes  in  from 
the  garden  complaining  that  she  is  not  allowed  to  play  with 
Anna's  big  doll.  Boy  Comfort  is  in  the  fields  from  morning 
to  night,  helping  Grandfather  Stolpe  to  build  the  new 
workmen's  houses.  A  fine  help  his  is  !  When  Ellen  fetches 
him  in  to  meals,  he  is  so  dirty  that  she  nearly  loses  all 
patience. 


DAYBREAK  269 

"  I  wonder  how  Old  Brun  is  !  "  says  Ellen  suddenly,  in 
the  middle  of  her  work.  "  We  haven't  heard  from  him 
now  for  three  days.  It's  quite  sad  to  think  he's  so  far 
away.  I  only  hope  they'll  look  after  him  properly." 

Pelle  is  tremendously  busy,  and  they  do  not  see  much 
of  him.  The  Movement  has  taken  up  his  idea  now  in 
earnest,  and  he  is  to  have  the  management  of  it  all,  so  that 
he  has  his  hands  full.  "  Have  I  got  a  husband  or  not  ?  " 
says  Ellen,  when  she  gets  hold  of  him  now  and  again. 

"  It'll  soon  be  better,"  he  answers.  "  When  once 
we've  got  the  machinery  properly  started,  it'll  go  by 
itself." 

Morten  is  the  only  one  who  has  not  set  seriously  to  work 
on  anything,  and  in  the  midst  of  all  the  bustle  has  an 
incongruous  effect.  "  He's  thinking  !  "  says  Ellen,  stopping 
in  the  middle  of  beating  a  carpet.  "  Thank  goodness  we're 
not  all  authors  !  " 

Pelle  would  like  to  draw  him  into  the  business.  "  There's 
so  much  to  write  and  lecture  about,"  he  says,  "  and  you 
could  do  all  that  so  much  better  than  I." 

"  Oh  no,  I  couldn't,"  says  Martin,  "  Your  work's 
growing  in  me  too.  I'm  always  thinking  about  it  and  have 
thought  of  giving  a  hand  too,  but  I  can't.  If  I  ever  con- 
tribute anything  to  your  great  work,  it'll  be  in  some  other 
way." 

"  You're  doing  nothing  with  your  book  about  the  sun 
either,"  says  Pelle,  anxiously. 

"  No,  because  whenever  I  set  to  work  on  it,  it  mixes  up 
so  strangely  with  your  work,  and  I  can't  keep  the  ideas 
apart.  At  present  I  feel  like  a  mole,  digging  blindly  in  the 
black  earth  under  the  mighty  tree  of  life.  I  dig  and 
search,  and  am  continually  coming  across  the  thick  roots 
of  the  huge  thing  above  the  surface.  I  can't  see  them,  but 
I  can  hear  sounds  from  above  there,  and  it  hurts  me  not 


270  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

to  be  able  to  follow  them  into  their  strong  connection  up 
in  the  light." 

*  *  *  *  * 

One  Sunday  morning  at  the  end  of  May  they  were 
sitting  out  in  the  garden.  The  cradle  had  been  moved 
out  into  the  sun,  and  Pelle  and  Ellen  were  sitting  one  on 
either  side,  talking  over  domestic  matters.  Ellen  had  so 
much  to  tell  him  when  she  had  him  to  herself.  The  child 
lay  staring  up  into  the  sky  with  its  dark  eyes  that  were  the 
image  of  Ellen's.  He  was  brown  and  chubby  ;  any  one 
could  see  that  he  had  been  conceived  in  sunshine  and  love. 

Lasse  Fredrik  was  sitting  by  the  hedge  painting  a 
picture  that  Pelle  was  not  to  see  until  it  was  finished.  He 
went  to  the  drawing-school  now,  and  was  clever.  He  had 
a  good  eye  for  figures,  and  poor  people  especially  he  hit  off 
in  any  position.  He  had  a  light  hand,  and  in  two  or  three 
lines  could  give  what  his  father  had  had  to  work  at  care- 
fully. "  You  cheat !  "  Pelle  often  said,  half  resentfully. 
"  It  won't  bear  looking  closely  at."  He  had  to  admit, 
however,  that  it  was  a  good  likeness. 

"  Well,  can't  I  see  the  picture  soon  ?  "  he  called  across. 
He  was  very  curious. 

"  Yes,  it's  finished  now,"  said  Lasse  Fredrik,  coming 
up  with  it. 

The  picture  represented  a  street  in  which  stood  a 
solitary  milk-cart,  and  behind  the  cart  lay  a  boy  with 
bleeding  head.  "  He  fell  asleep  because  he  had  to  get  up 
so  early,"  Lasse  Fredrik  explained  ;  "  and  then  when  the 
cart  started  he  tumbled  backwards."  The  morning 
emptiness  of  the  street  was  well  done,  but  the  blood  was 
too  brilliantly  red. 

"  It's  very  unpleasant,"  said  Ellen  with  a  shudder. 
"  But  it's  true." 

Morten  came  home  from  town  with  a  big  letter  which 


DAYBREAK  271 

he  handed  to  Pelle,  saying :  "  Here's  news  for  you  from 
Brun."  Pelle  went  into  the  house  to  read  it  undisturbed, 
and  a  little  while  after  came  out  again. 

"  Yes,  important  news  this  time,"  he  said  with  some 
emotion.  "  Would  you  like  to  hear  it  ?. "  he  asked,  sitting 
down. 

"  DEAR  PELLE, 

"  I  am  sitting  up  in  bed  to  write  to  you.  I  am 
poorly,  and  have  been  for  some  days  ;  but  I  hope  it  is 
nothing  serious.  We  all  have  to  die  some  day,  but  I  should 
like  to  start  on  the  great  voyage  round  the  world  from  your 
home.  I  long  to  see  "  Daybreak  "  and  all  of  you,  and  I 
feel  very  lonely.  If  the  business  could  do  without  you  for 
a  few  days,  I  should  be  so  glad  if  you  would  come  down 
here.  Then  we  could  go  home  together,  for  I  should 
not  like  to  venture  on  the  journey  by  myself. 

"  The  sun  is  just  going  down,  and  sends  its  last  rays  in 
to  me.  It  has  been  grey  and  gloomy  all  day,  but  now 
the  sun  has  broken  through  the  clouds,  and  kisses  the  earth 
and  me,  poor  old  man,  too,  in  farewell.  It  makes  me  want 
to  say  something  to  you,  Pelle,  for  my  day  was  like  this 
before  I  knew  you — endlessly  long  and  grey  !  When  you 
are  the  last  member  of  a  dying  family,  you  have  to  bear 
the  grey  existence  of  the  others  too. 

"  I  have  often  thought  how  wonderful  the  hidden  force 
of  life  is.  Intercourse  with  you  has  been  like  a  lever  to 
me,  although  I  knew  well  that  I  should  not  accomplish 
anything  more,  and  had  no  one  to  come  after  me.  I  feel 
nevertheless,  through  you,  in  alliance  with  the  future. 
You  are  in  the  ascendant  and  must  look  upon  me  as  some- 
thing that  is  vanishing.  But  look  how  life  makes  us  all 
live  by  using  us  each  in  his  own  way.  Be  strong  in  your 
faith  in  the  future  ;  with  you  lies  the  development.  I  wish 


272  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

with  all  my  heart  that  I  were  an  awakening  proletary 
and  stood  in  the  dawn  of  day  ;  but  I  am  nevertheless 
glad  because  my  eyes  will  be  closed  by  the  new  in 
you. 

"  I  have  imagined  that  life  was  tiresome  and  dull  and 
far  too  well  known.  I  had  it  arranged  in  my  catalogues. 
And  look  how  it  renews  itself !  In  my  old  age  I  have 
experienced  its  eternal  youth.  Formerly  I  had  never  cared 
about  the  country  ;  in  my  mind  it  was  a  place  where  you 
waded  either  in  dust  or  mud.  The  black  earth  appeared 
to  me  horrible  rather  than  anything  else  ;  it  was  only 
associated  in  my  mind  with  the  churchyard.  That  shows 
how  far  I  was  from  nature.  The  country  was  something 
that  farmers  moved  about  in — those  big,  voracious  creatures, 
who  almost  seemed  like  a  kind  of  animal  trying  to  imitate 
man.  Rational  beings  could  not  possibly  live  out  there. 
That  was  the  view  in  my  circle,  and  I  had  myself  a  touch 
of  the  same  complaint,  although  my  university  training  of 
course  paraphrased  and  veiled  it  all  to  some  extent.  All 
this  about  our  relations  to  nature  seemed  to  me  very  interest- 
ing aesthetically,  but  with  more  or  less  of  a  contradictory, 
not  to  say  hostile,  character.  I  could  not  understand 
how  any  one  could  see  anything  beautiful  in  a  ploughed 
field  or  a  dike.  It  was  only  when  I  got  to  know  you 
that  something  moved  within  me  and  called  me  out ; 
there  was  something  about  you  like  the  air  from  out 
there. 

"  Now  I  also  understand  my  forefathers !  Formerly 
they  seemed  to  me  only  like  thick-skinned  boors,  who 
scraped  together  all  the  money  that  two  generations 
of  us  have  lived  upon  without  doing  a  pennyworth  of 
good.  They  enabled  us,  however,  to  live  life,  I  have 
always  thought,  and  I  considered  it  the  only  excuse 
for  their  being  in  the  family,  coarse  and  robust  as  they 


DAYBREAK  273 

were.  Now  I  see  that  it  was  they  who  lived,  while  we 
after  them,  with  all  our  wealth,  have  only  had  a  bed  in 
life's  inn. 

"  For  all  this  I  thank  you.  I  am  glad  to  have  become 
acquainted  through  you  with  men  of  the  new  age,  and 
to  be  able  to  give  my  fortune  back.  It  was  made  by  all 
those  who  work,  and  gathered  together  by  a  few ;  my 
giving  it  back  is  merely  a  natural  consequence.  Others  will 
come  to  do  as  I  am  doing,  either  of  their  own  free  will  or 
by  compulsion,  until  everything  belongs  to  everybody. 
Then  only  can  the  conflict  about  human  interests  begin. 
Capitalism  has  created  wonderful  machines,  but  what 
wonderful  men  await  us  in  the  new  age  !  Happy  the  man 
who  could  have  lived  to  see  it  ! 

"  I  have  left  all  my  money  to  you  and  Morten.  As  yet 
there  is  no  institution  that  I  could  give  it  to,  so  you  must 
administer  it  in  the  name  of  co-operation.  You  two  are  the 
best  guardians  of  the  poor,  and  I  know  you  will  employ  it 
in  the  best  manner.  I  place  it  with  confidence  in  your 
hands.  The  will  is  at  my  lawyer's  ;  I  arranged  it  all  before 
I  left  home. 

"  My  greetings  to  all  at  '  Daybreak ' — Ellen,  the 
children,  and  Morten.  If  the  baby  is  christened  before  I  get 
home,  remember  that  he  is  to  be  called  after  me.  But 
I  am  hoping  that  you  will  come." 

Ellen  drew  a  deep  breath  when  Pelle  had  finished  the 
letter.  "  I  only  hope  he's  not  worse  than  he  makes  out," 
she  said.  "  I  suppose  you'll  go  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I'll  arrange  what's  necessary  at  the  works 
to-morrow  early,  and  take  the  morning  express." 

"  Then  I  must  see  to  your  things,"  exclaimed  Ellen,  and 
went  in. 

Pelle  and  Morten  went  for  a  stroll  along  the  edge  of  the 

VOL.   IV.  T 


274  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

hill,  past  the  half-finished  houses,  whose  red  bricks  shone 
in  the  sun. 

"Everything  seems  to  turn  out  well  for  you,  Pelle," 
said  Morten,  suddenly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Pelle,  "  nothing  has  succeeded  in  injuring 
me,  so  I  suppose  what  Father  Lasse  and  the  others  said  is 
right,  that  I  was  born  with  a  caul.  The  ill-usage  I  suffered 
as  a  child  taught  me  to  be  good  to  others,  and  in  prison 
I  gained  liberty  ;  what  might  have  made  me  a  criminal 
made  a  man  of  me  instead.  Nothing  has  succeeded  in 
injuring  me  !  So  I  suppose  I  may  say  that  everything  has 
turned  out  well." 

"  Yes,  you  may,  and  now  I've  found  a  subject,  Pelle  ! 
I'm  not  going  to  hunt  about  blindly  in  the  dark  ;  I'm  going 
to  write  a  great  work  now." 

"  I  congratulate  you  !  What  will  it  be  about  ?  Is  it 
to  be  the  work  on  the  sun  ?  " 

"  Yes,  both  about  the  sun  and  about  him  who  conquers. 
It's  to  be  a  book  about  you,  Pelle  !  " 

"  About  me  ?  "  exclaimed  Pelle. 

"  Yes,  about  the  naked  Pelle  with  the  caul !  It's  about 
time  to  call  out  the  naked  man  into  the  light  and  look  at 
him  well,  now  that  he's  going  to  take  over  the  future.  You 
like  to  read  about  counts  and  barons,  but  now  I'm  going 
to  write  a  story  about  a  prince  who  finds  the  treasure  and 
wins  the  princess.  He's  looked  for  her  all  over  the  world 
and  she  wasn't  there,  and  now  there's  only  himself  left,  and 
there  he  finds  her,  for  he's  taken  her  heart.  Won't  that  be 
a  good  story  ?  " 

"  I  think  it's  a  lot  of  rubbish,"  said  Pelle,  laughing. 
"  And  you'll  have  to  lay  the  lies  on  thick  if  you're  going 
to  make  me  into  a  prince.  I  don't  think  you'll  get  the 
workpeople  to  take  it  for  a  real  book ;  it'll  all  be  so  well- 
known  and  ordinary." 


DAYBREAK  275 

"  They'll  snatch  at  it,  and  weep  with  delight  and  pride 
at  finding  themselves  in  it.  Perhaps  they'll  name  their 
children  after  it  out  of  pure  gratitude  !  " 

"  What  are  you  going  to  call  it  then  ?  "  asked  Pelle. 

"  I'm  going  to  call  it '  PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR.'  " 


THE  END 


PRINTED  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN     BY    WILLIAM  CLOWES  AND  SONS,   LIMITED, 
LONDON   AND  BECCLES. 


Pelle  the  Conqueror 

BY 

Martin  Andersen  Nexo 


NOTE 

WHEN  the  first  part  of  "Pelle  Erobreren"  (Pelle  the 
Conqueror)  appeared  in  1906,  its  author,  Martin  Andersen 
Nexo,  was  practically  unknown  even  in  his  native  country, 
save  to  a  few  literary  people  who  knew  that  he  had  written 
some  volumes  of  stories  and  a  book  full  of  sunshiny  remini- 
scences from  Spain.  And  even  now,  after  his  great  success 
with  "  Pelle  "  very  little  is  known  about  the  writer.  He  was 
born  in  1869  in  one  of  the  poorest  quarters  of  Copenhagen, 
but  spent  his  boyhood  in  his  beloved  island  Bornholm,  in  the 
Baltic,  in  or  near  the  town,  Nexo,  from  which  his  final  name 
is  derived.  There,  too,  he  was  a  shoemaker's  apprentice,  like 
Pelle  in  the  second  part  of  the  book,  which  resembles  many 
great  novels  in  being  largely  autobiographical.  Later,  he 
gained  his  livelihood  as  a  bricklayer,  until  he  somehow 
managed  to  get  to  one  of  the  most  renowned  of  our  "  people's 
high-schools,"  where  he  studied  so  effectually  that  he  was 
enabled  to  become  a  teacher,  first  at  a  provincial  school,  and 
later  in  Copenhagen. 

"  Pelle  "  consists  of  four  parts,  each,  except  perhaps  the 
last,  a  complete  story  in  itself.  First  we  have  the  open-air 
life  of  the  boy  in  country  surroundings  in  Bornholm;  then 
the  lad's  apprenticeship  in  a  small  provincial  town  not  yet 
invaded  by  modern  industrialism  and  still  innocent  of  socialism  ; 
next  the  youth's  struggles  in  Copenhagen  against  employers 
and  authorities ;  and  last  the  man's  final  victory  in  laying  the 
foundation  of  a  garden-city  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellow-workers. 
The  background  everywhere  is  the  rapid  growth  of  the  labour 


movement;  but  social  problems  are  never  obtruded,  except, 
again,  in  the  last  part,  and  the  purely  human  interest  is  always 
kept  well  before  the  reader's  eye  through  variety  of  situation 
and  vividness  of  characterisation.  The  great  charm  of  the 
book  seems  to  me  to  lie  in  the  fact  that  the  writer  knows  the 
poor  from  within  ;  he  has  not  studied  them  as  an  outsider 
may,  but  has  lived  with  them  and  felt  with  them,  at  once  a 
participant  and  a  keen-eyed  spectator.  He  is  no  senti- 
mentalist, and  so  rich  is  his  imagination  that  he  passes  on 
rapidly  from  one  scene  to  the  next,  sketching  often  in  a  few 
pages  what  another  novelist  would  be  content  to  work  out 
into  long  chapters  or  whole  volumes.  His  sympathy  is  of  the 
widest,  and  he  makes  us  see  tragedies  behind  the  little 
comedies,  and  comedies  behind  the  little  tragedies,  of  the 
seemingly  sordid  lives  of  the  working  people  whom  he  loves. 
"  Pelle "  has  conquered  the  hearts  of  the  reading  public  of 
Denmark ;  there  is  that  in  the  book  which  should  conquer 
also  the  hearts  of  a  wider  public  than  that  of  the  little  country 
in  which  its  author  was  born. 

OTTO  JESPERSEN, 

Professor  of  English  in  the  University 

of  Copenhagen. 
GENTOFTE,  COPENHAGEN, 
April,  1913. 


PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR 

ENGLISH  TRANSLATION,  IN  FOUR   VOLUMES. 

I.— BOYHOOD.    Translated  by  JESSIE  MUIR. 
II.— APPRENTICESHIP.   Translated  by  BERNARD  MIALL. 

III.— THE   GREAT  STRUGGLE.     Translated  by  BER- 
NARD MIALL. 

IV.— DAYBREAK.    Translated  by  JESSIE  MUIR. 


SOME  PRESS  NOTICES. 

PART  I. 
PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR :  BOYHOOD. 

"Sympathy  and  sincerity  pervade  the  entire  work."—  Boston 
Evening  Transcript. 

"  No  reader  with  any  sympathy  for  human  nature  can  escape 
the  charm  of  Pelle's  boyhood." — Morning  Post. 

"It  is  remarkably  fine  work.  The  simplicity  of  its  treatment 
takes  it  into  the  realms  of  greatness.  .  .  .  There  is  no  straining 
after  effect,  but  the  strongest  effects  are  secured." — Brooklyn 
Eagle. 

"  Novel-readers  in  search  of  something  out  of  the  common  will 
be  grateful  to  the  publishers  and  the  very  competent  translator, 
Miss  Jessie  Muir,  who  give  them  access  to  the  work  of  this  Danish 
writer." — Spectator. 

"The  book,  despite  its  recountal  of  the  brutish  ways  of  the 
Bornholmers,  is  no  more  coarse  than  *  Wuthering  Heights '  is 
coarse.  It  is  fragrant  with  the  smell  of  the  sea,  the  sweet  air  of  the 
meadows,  the  sharp  joy  of  strength  and  speed." — Englishwoman. 

PART  II. 
PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR:  APPRENTICESHIP. 

"  It  is  a  book  which  posterity  may  well  call  the  Iliad  of  the 
poor." — Daily  Chronicle. 

"  One  of  the  most  momentous  books  which  this  century  has  so 
far  produced." — Manchester  Guardian. 

"  It  is  by  the  translation  of  such  masterpieces  that  the  chasm 
that  divides  one  nation  from  another  is  bridged,  and  the  peoples 
shown  how  superficial  for  the  most  part  are  their  differences." — 
Daily  News. 

"There  is  no  trace  here  of  the  morbid  gloom  which  too 
exclusive  reading  of  one  Scandinavian  man  of  genius  has  tempted 
us  to  expect  from  northern  writers,  but  rather  the  gentle  tolerance 
and  ruthless  truth-telling  of  the  great  Kussians." — Englishwoman. 

"  Nexo  is  not  afraid  of  life.  He  shows  us  the  peasants — whom 
he  loves — as  cruel,  sensual,  grasping  and  suspicious,  and  yet 
capable  of  the  noblest  form  of  self-sacrifice  and  the  most  winning 
kindness." — Chicago  Record-Herald. 


PART    HI. 
PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR:  THE  GREAT  STRUGGLE. 

"  The  book  is  world-wide  in  its  significance.  It  is  the 
chronicle  of  the  growth  of  labour  to  consciousness  of  its  rights 
and  its  strength  to  win  them." — New  York  Tribune. 

"  The  book  speaks  for  itself.  Whether  all  the  incidents  are  a 
record  of  fact  or  not,  such  poignant  description  is  born  and  born 
only  of  the  soul's  personal  experience.  Nexo  floods  the  dark 
dwellings  of  the  intolerably  poor  with  a  light  that  would  be  itself 
intolerable  were  it  not  that  beneath  the  poverty  he  reveals  so 
clearly  (because  he  sees  them  so  clearly)  the  dignity,  the  gaiety, 
the  courage  that  is  in  the  heart  of  man.  .  .  .  The  book  is  full  of 
the  swing  of  youth  and  the  exhilaration  of  fighting,  and,  since  all 
the  world  loves  a  fighter,  few  will  be  able  to  withhold  their  sympathy 
when,  by  a  ruse,  Pelle  penetrates  to  the  very  stronghold  of  the 
enemy,  appeals  successfully  to  the  strike-breakers  within,  and 
marches  out  at  their  head.  .  .  .  Mr.  Miall's  translation  achieves,  in  a 
much  greater  measure  than  is  usual,  one  of  the  most  essential  of  the 
objects  of  translation — concealment  of  its  traces." — Coiintry  Life. 

"The  author  of  'Pelle  the  Conqueror'  is  an  artist  of  a  high 
order.  In  him  the  passion  of  poverty  works  strongly,  naturally, 
inevitably.  His  pity  is  from  the  inside,  not  the  out— it  is  the 
one  endurable  kind  of  pity  :  the  pity  which  is  not  merely  akin  to 
love,  but  one  with  love.  This  third  volume  of  the  series  begins 
with  Pelle  on  the  threshold  of  manhood,  earning  his  living  as  a 
journeyman  shoemaker,  and  inhabiting  one  corner  of  a  deplorable 
tenement  in  Copenhagen.  It  takes  him  on  to  courtship  and 
marriage  and  fatherhood,  and  through  exciting  vicissitudes  of 
Trade  Union  experience  and  organisation  ;  it  paints  a  huge  and 
terrible  picture  of  a  widespread  and  prolonged  strike  ;  it  gives 
us  in  heart-breaking  detail  the  struggle  between  the  claims  of 
wife  and  children  and  the  claims  of  a  great  industrial  organisation 
at  death-grips  with  the  forces  of  capital ;  it  relieves  the  gloom  by 
delightful  interludes  of  peace,  months  of  quiet  family  life,  the 
building  of  the  home,  the  gatherings  of  friends — genuine  '  Scandi- 
navian interiors ' — it  shows  us  Pelle  leading,  organising,  suc- 
ceeding— it  shows  us  Pelle  betrayed  by  fortune,  baffled,  tortured, 
and  solaced.  .  .  .  The  book  is  unforgettably  real.  ...  I  must  pay 
a  special  tribute  to  the  drawing  of  the  three  girls  who  love  Pelle — 
Hanne,  Ellen,  and  Marie ;  the  splendid  ardour  of  their  youth  is 
understood  as  tenderly  as  are  their  errors  and  faults  ;  in  persons 
no  less  than  in  movements  Andersen  Nexo  sees  the  essential 
beauty ;  his  humanity  is  as  broad  as  it  is  long-suffering ;  his 
charity  uncovers  a  multitude  of  virtues." — GERALD  GOULD  in 
the  New  Statesman. 


PART    IV. 
PELLE  THE  CONQUEROR:  DAYBREAK. 


79/6. 


LONDON  :  SIDGWICK  AND  JACKSON,  LTD. 
NEW  YORK  :  HENRY  HOLT  AND  COMPANY. 


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